Kunlavut Vitidsarn: Making the Big Leap
Two expressions that Kunlavut Vitidsarn uses all the time are “want to learn” and “try to control”. As one of the most promising young players around, who is now toe-to-toe with the big guns, the 21-year-old still…
· DEV SUKUMAR
Two expressions that Kunlavut Vitidsarn uses all the time are “want to learn” and “try to control”. As one of the most promising young players around, who is now toe-to-toe with the big guns, the 21-year-old still sounds like an earnest junior, not like the top 10 player he is.
Those two expressions reveal much about him. The Thai prefers the role of the underdog, and he deliberately downplays his chances. He is modesty personified, for he speaks frequently of not having anything to lose -- he is “still learning”.
Yet, even as he casts himself in the role of a learner rather than a genuine contender, he did what no one else has in two years – beat Viktor Axelsen in a final, at the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2023.