Some winter mornings were tough when he had to train on
icy courts. On other days he would be training in rain
even on Friday nights when his friends were out
socialising, but he stayed incredibly committed to his
sport.
Madhu and daughter Ashna would watch them pull up at
home. If the car was blaring music, they would have had
a good session, but if all was quiet and a car door
would slam, they'd know it wasn't good news.
As the family mediator, Madhu has often been caught in
the middle of the two strong personalities.
"When on tour they ring me at any time of the day or
night having no consideration of time difference."
Sometimes, it's because Rakesh isn't happy about the way
Ajeet has handled himself during matches.
Ajeet is a colourful character at home and on the court
but denies having a smart mouth. "I like to act in the
heat of the moment. I like to include the crowd a lot
and have fun. You've got to entertain and sell
yourself."
He's especially popular with tennis crowds in Asia. "I
ask them where I should serve."
In South Korea this year, his fastest serve was clocked
at 211km an hour.
Not only does Ajeet like to perform, he likes to
inspire. He was hitting balls on court the other day
when a young boy's ball rolled on to his court, but he
was too afraid to get it. The tennis star called him
over and they even had a few hits together. "I want to
include kids and be very approachable."
He's also a young sportsman with dreams.
His first was to play Davis Cup tennis for New Zealand,
which has come true. "I want to win a grand slam, become
world No 1 and put Taranaki and New Zealand on the map
for tennis," he says.
And just in case he gets a big head, he gets extra help
at home.
"We keep him humble, we keep him grounded," Madhu says.
Having said that they are immensely proud of the former
New Plymouth Boys' High School student, who they say has
an amazing work ethic around tennis.
His regime in New Plymouth begins with a 5km run every
morning between 6am and 8am, an hour at the Snap Fitness
gym, then yoga at the Escape Coffee, a body healing
session with Charles Rodrigues, two hours on the court
at the Rotokare Tennis Club with Rakesh and two hitting
partners. One is usually Mike Fleming and often Amrit,
but only when he's home. His day ends with a massage
from Bryn Gibson.
"It's just great in New Plymouth because I have a really
good time here. It's so easy to get around. I was stuck
in heavy traffic and it took me only 10 minutes to get
to the gym."
For relaxation he heads to Westown Golf Club for a
highly competitive round with Pukekura Tennis coach Mark
Belcher, who baits the teenager good-heartedly all the
way.
One of the biggest hurdles the Rai family has faced is
funding. But there have been incredibly supportive
people, businesses and organisations in Taranaki.
They name Greg and Andrea Hareb, Chris and Janice
Taylor, Taranaki Elite Athlete Foundation, Charles
Rodrigues and Andrew Judd and Guize Clothing, among
those who have been especially generous.
Performance coach Clint Packer from Wellington has been
enormously supportive, as have Glen and Sarah Ferguson
from San Diego, who are like extra parents to him when
he's there.
While Rakesh is his main coach, he is always seeking
extra help for his son and learning new skills himself.
"I have worked with a lot of developmental coaches – the
best in the world."
"When you say it takes a village to raise a child, I
think it takes a country to raise a player, especially
in international sport," Madhu says.
This year the International Tennis Federation gave Ajeet
$US12,500 for being the best performing junior in the
Pacific to help him make the transition to professional.
His main sponsor is Prince racquets and apparel.
Earlier this year, Ajeet played his first professional
match at the Ugandan Pro-circuit Futures Tournament,
which was significant on two fronts.
He won the match against a Russian player to collect his
first professional point – the first of 10 points he
gained in the first three months on the pro-circuit.
Uganda was also where Rakesh's dad was born, and the
tennis coach grew up.
His dad was a school principal, who was forced by to
flee the country in 1973 to escape the atrocities of the
Idi Amin regime.
The family of four kids moved to the back of Stratford,
becoming one of the first two families in New Zealand to
be taken in as refugees from Uganda.
Rakesh and Ajeet attended the tournament, which was a
healing journey of the older Rai.
While the pair do have a mercurial relationship, they
are close and have great respect for each other.
When he was age six, he was playing a man during
interclub and kept hitting to his forehand. During the
break, Rakesh advised Ajeet start hitting to the man's
backhand. But the boy's answer was swift: "But when I
hit to his backhand he chips over my head."
From that moment on, Rakesh looked at his son
differently. "I stop people giving him a specific
tactical plan. The ideas he has in his head are
extraordinary.
"When you are one of the top players in the world, you
have that X factor – you think differently. Ajeet has
that," Rakesh says.
While Ajeet is a rising star with big goals, his reason
for playing tennis is extremely down to earth.
"It's a sport that I get to play with my dad. It's a
family bond."