2024 USTA junior scholar athletes, sportsmanship award winners named

Four standout junior players were honored ahead of the USTA National Championships taking place in San Diego and Kalamazoo, Mich. this week as the USTA announced the recipients of two prestigious awards.

Natasha Rajaram of Cupertino, Calif., and Karan Raghavendra of Dublin, Calif. are the winners of this year's USTA Bill Talbert Junior Sportsmanship Award, while Valerie Glozman of Bellevue, Wash., and Shaurya Bharadwaj of Charlotte, N.C., were named the recipients of the 2024 USTA National Junior Scholar Athlete Award.

Rajaram and Raghavendra honored for sportsmanship

Harvard University commit Rajaram graduated from the Harker School in San Jose this year. A gold ball winner at the 2022 USTA National Clay Court Championships, Rajaram won numerous sportsmanship awards at virtually every level of junior tennis and is regarded by coaches as a player who demonstrates the highest levels of character and integrity. She reached a ranking as high of No. 16 nationally, and helped lead the Harker School to a NorCal WBAL League championship.

Raghavendra will play college tennis at Indiana University in the fall, ranked as high as No. 43 in the country and won numerous national and sectional sportsmanship awards. He is described by coaches and peers as a fair and gracious competitor and natural leader.  

“Natasha and Karan are incredible tennis players, both on and off the court,” Craig Morris, the USTA's chief executive for community tennis, said. “They both epitomize what great sportsmanship is all about and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for them.” 

The Stanford University commit also has competed in US Open qualifying each of the past two years, winning a round in each year; has accumulated more than a dozen college credits through a dual-enrollment program; and has served as a volunteer tennis coach in her community.

Bharadwaj is a recent graduate of Charlotte’s Providence Day School and is committed to play college tennis at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall. A two-time captain of his high school varsity tennis team, he was once named the Charlotte Observer’s Player of the Year, and boasts All-State and All-Conference honors. Off the court, Bharadwaj maintained a weighted cumulative GPA over 4.0 and has excelled in a number of AP courses. He is a member of a number of clubs and organizations including the National Honor Society. He has spent time volunteering as a tennis coach for an adaptive tennis program and also multiple organizations that serve underprivileged children.