Fitness and playing at the top level is a catch-22 for Indian tennis: Ankita Bhambri

Women’s tennis in India has been in a limbo of sorts over the last few years. Ever since Sania Mirza’s run to the top-30 a decade ago, everyone else has struggled to bridge the gap between the journeyman circuit and the top tournaments. There had been no Indian woman ranked in the WTA top 200 since Shikha Uberoi (2005) and Sunitha Rao (2008), both of whom were US citizens, till last year.

But the year 2018 has already seen progress on this front. In April, Ankita Raina breached the top-200 rankings in WTA singles chart and Karman Kaur Thandi joined her in July, becoming only the sixth Indian to break into the WTA top-200. As of this week, there are two Indians in the top 200, something that last happened almost a decade ago.

And this climb, according India’s Fed Cup captain Ankita Bhambri, has been a long time coming. For the women’s team’s coach-cum-manager at the Asian Games, it has always been a question of when the Indian women can start climbing up the ranks. And as someone who has experienced the grind of the tennis tour herself, she is optimistic of slow and steady rise.

“There has always been a huge gap as far as women’s tennis is concerned and there are not many opportunities. Plus it is always an unknown path for that single female coming from different cities. But now that Ankita and Karman are doing well, the other young bunch of players are moving up in the rankings. Slowly and steadily we will see them break into the top 200-150,” she told Scroll.in.

This year has seen some impressive performances from Indian women players. At the Fed Cup, Raina was unbeaten, registering wins over top 100 players like Lin Zhu of China and Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan to ensure India’s place in Asia/Oceania Group I. Thandi won her first singles title on ITF Pro circuit in Hong Kong, and more recently Rutuja Bhosale and Pranjala Yadlapalli won a $25K ITF doubles title.

This is a good sign heading into the Asian Games as well, where Ankita Raina, Karman Kaur Thandi, Rutuja Bhosale, Pranjala Yadlapalli, Riya Bhatia and doubles specialist Prarthna Thombare will hope to carry on India’s medal-winning track record.

“We have a strong team, all the top women players are in the team and I am really hopeful of a medal,” Bhambri added. Thombare, who had won the women’s doubles bronze with Mirza in 2014, will be the most experienced member of the team, along with Raina, who had also represented India in Incheon four years back.

And almost all of them have won trophies on the tour in the last few months with some good wins, which will give them confidence.

Bhambri gives the example of Indian male players who have only recently started getting some big wins on the ATP World Tour level. “The men have been playing for many years despite their wins or losses, but it is now that they are doing well. These results haven’t come overnight. It is a combined effort since a long time. Similarly for women, they have just started to see the results. It takes time, one or two years later we will probably see these girls also up there,” she added.

Catch-22 situation

While there are a combination of factors that have had an impact on Indian tennis, financial resources and injury management are two of the biggest areas that need to be worked on.

But while the former is out of the players’ hands, the latter often proves to be the biggest roadblock for Indian players on tour.

“It is a Catch-22 situation. Just when you start playing at the level and get those opportunities, your physical fitness is stretched. To be able to reach and play those tournaments against better opponents and improve your game, you have to be able to match them. But whether it is in terms of your physical ability on court or mental strength or ground strokes, it takes time for you to get there,” Bhambri, who also coaches budding players at Team Tennis in Delhi, explained.

“Injuries and layoffs are a part of the sport. One can’t prevent it. You keep trying to work hard on your physical fitness to be able to maintain the high level of tennis when you are going for tournaments. Since we Indians don’t have the luxury of travelling with coaches and physios, one has to manage them best by yourself. One has to learn to bounce back from an injury at a very early age to do well on tennis,” she elaborated.

“The game has become much more physical and people are more aware and the level at that stage has gone up in terms of sustainability. People are able to come back from injuries. Look at Rafa (Rafael Nadal) and Roger (Federer), raising the bar every single day,” she added with a laugh.

Moving in the right direction

As a player, coach, and manager working closely with India’s top players, Bhambri has observed the sport from close quarters. Her brother Yuki is India’s top-ranked singles player and sister Sanaa has played on the tour as well. And having seen all that, she believes that Indian tennis is moving in the right direction.

“Tennis in general needs a lot more support, and if financial pressure is taken away from the player, they might be able to get better results and perform in bigger tournament,” she explained.

This can prove to be even more beneficial for women as WTA allows on-court coaching on tour. “Having a coach watch your game and guide you on the things to be done right after the match is a necessary part of one’s career. You need to have a coach watching because in tennis there is no off season per say, most of the time is spent on tour. You may end up losing in the first round but the next five days are crucial to work on aspects that need more attention, so with a travelling coach it becomes easier.”

However, despite all the obstacles, Bhambri has seen a marked progress over the last few years.

“At my time I couldn’t see players playing the circuit so much. I remember playing 20 tournaments was a struggle, and there were no Google maps. Today travel has become more accessible and Indians are playing in every part of the world, so there are a lot more opportunities,’ she said.

But what gives her more satisfaction is the increase in number of female players.

“I have seen a lot more women in India take up the sport seriously and professionally. They are more dedicated and investing a lot more time and trying to make a career. There is a lot more awareness from parents and coaches as well, so it will be a better scenario for women in few years,” she informed.

While there are many positive signs – Raina’s performance in the Fed Cup and Thandi’s consistency – it is still a long road ahead. Or a ladder, as Bhambri puts it, from the $25K tournaments to the Grand Slam qualifiers and then the main draw. For now, it is a question of bridging the gap, one tournament at a time.