On The Courts In Hyderabad

Hyderabad! My first tournament after my injury. Actually my first tournament in almost a year.

One thing I have learnt about these tournaments is that the qualifying players have it the worst. Not the stay or anything but the people handling the tournament have absolutely no clue about anything. I mean the first place you come to after arriving is the official hotel. Just so you can rest up and can get your bearings. But you want to know some stuff about the tournament. But these guys at the hotel know absolutely nothing. Distance to the courts, transportation to the courts, heck, I have been in situations where they were unaware that their hotel was the official hotel for a tournament!

I qualified for the main draw. I got through both my matches pretty easily losing only one game in both my matches.  It felt good getting back into match play. I also got a main draw doubles wildcard. My doubles partner was Sai Samitha. Coincidentally, she was also my opponent for my first round main draw match! Since I qualified, I had no singles match on Monday, only doubles. My singles was on Tuesday. We won our doubles on Monday beating our opponents closely; 13 11 in the super tiebreak!

Unfortunately I strained my back during the final qualifying on Sunday; I didn’t realize it then. During the doubles match my back kept twinging a little but I didn’t stop playing thinking it to be a little bit of stiffness. When I got up on Tuesday, I wasn’t able to twist. Rather than risk aggravating it even more (the last time I did that I had to take 8 months off to let it heal!) I conceded both my singles and doubles.

I got my back checked out by Naved Bhaiya (my physio) who said that the back muscles on my right were strained and that it would take 5-6 days to recover. Probably because of my nerves, and my first tournament back from injury, not to mention 45 minute bus rides to the venue albeit over bumpy roads! Nothing serious, just rest and some physiotherapy required. So that’s a relief!

Next stop Asian B1.

Cheering For India At The Davis Cup

I watched the Davis Cup the week before last. The matches were held from 1^st Feb to 3^rd Feb. It was held in Delhi, at the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium, where I train, so I got some pretty good seats. The Davis Cup is the most important team event in men’s tennis, and happens every year with teams from competing countries playing each other in a knock out format. This match was between India and Korea, so naturally there was a lot of anticipation and enthusiasm involved. India’s line up consisted of V.M. Ranjeet, Vijayant Malik, Purav Raja and Leander Paes, with Arjun Khade and Ashwin Vijayaraghavan making up the reserves. The singles rank of our number 1 player was 512 as compared to that of Korea’s no 1 player which was 311, so the Koreans were the favourites in this match up.

India’s top players i.e.  Somdev Devvarman (career high rank 62), Sanam Singh (currently ranked 402), Yuki Bhambri (currently ranked 177) and Mahesh Bhupati did not play due to the controversy surrounding the AITA and the players; the players felt they were not being heard. It was a pity because I feel that the country comes first , whatever the grievances of the players, and which can always be sorted.

We lost the tie 1-4, with Purav Raja and Leander Paes winning the doubles match. But it was amazing to see the players in action, the atmosphere with people waving Indian flags, and shouting slogans. I could just go on and on. The feeling which ran through the crowd when India won a point regardless if it was a double fault by Korea or a winner hit by us was electric. We would stand up and with a collective voice roar, ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai!!’ I went completely patriotic for the matches. I painted my face with the colours of the Indian flag, waved around a huge flag and just supported my country with everything I had! I got my sister Devki to make a poster with Go India Go written on it and gave her specific instructions to wave it around manically if the slightest opportunity presented itself. She followed my instructions so well that in the end she had to be restrained for fear that in her enthusiasm she might seriously injure someone.

(Left to Right) Avika, Devki (my sister), Ishaan, Disha, Me, Garry, Aryan (in front), Akshat, and Anu Ma’am (my yoga teacher )

That's my team. I’m in the centre with the painted face. We all train together at DLTA. Well all of us except Devki and Aryan. I tried to convince all of them to paint their faces but as you can see I wasn’t very successful. Only Avika agreed and that too, a tiny flag on her cheek. You can spot it if you look hard enough!

It was an awesome experience just coming out and cheering for India. I can’t wait for the next time India plays a Davis Cup match in Delhi again! 

It's 2013!

It’s been a pretty eventful 2012. I’ve had an injury which lasted for about 8 months, I learnt how to juggle, do some pretty cool dance moves, commentated at my sisters school basketball tournament finals, and survived the end the world. (Refer to Mayan end of the world prophecy).

I celebrated new years in Dubai. We stayed in this place called Hotel Tamina, in one of the apartments. After coming from Delhi where the temperature had dropped to about 2 degrees Celsius, and felt even less, Dubai was a welcome change. 20 degrees, sunny and warm, but not hot; it was perfect. We stayed there for 5 days, dreading our return to Delhi. It also didn’t help that my dad kept on updating us on Delhi’s climatic conditions. Stuff like, ‘today was the coldest day of the year’, and ‘the hills are warmer than Delhi. Though the best line came when we were sunbathing on a beach; I think it was our last day in Dubai and he walked up to us and told us very matter of fact that that day Delhi was colder than London.

As I mentioned in one of the above paragraphs I ‘had’ an injury. It is now in the past tense. I have finally recovered. None of the ‘take treatment for two more weeks and then we will see.’ I am (drumroll please) finally back. My new year’s resolution for 2013 is to get six pack abs. And not just any six pack abs. I want abs like Jessica Ennis. She is the gold medalist in the women’s heptathlon for the 2012 olympic games. I’ve even put up a poster of her in my room, abs and all. For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted abs. And now that I have finally healed from my injury I’m going to focus on fulfilling this lifelong dream of mine!

I’ve started playing full sessions now. I am able to do the full morning session now, fitness, yoga and everything. I haven’t really done a full day’s session yet. I don’t want to push myself too much too soon. But the way my back felt after training and my recovery is very encouraging so I might play a few evening sessions next week.

I’m back and I’m raring to go!

At My Creative Best!

Some not so good news. I had started playing tennis again but as the soreness in my back wasn’t going away I consulted with the doctor who told me that exerting my back when there was still so much soreness could aggravate the injury and told me to shut down for a month; no running nothing. Just physiotherapy. So the past weeks I haven’t really done much.

I mentioned in the previous blog I have started using public transport i.e. the bus and the tempo (to go for physiotherapy). Contrary to what I have been told the people using the public transport are really very courteous, especially towards women. I got on the bus one day and I had my big tennis bag with me. I didn’t want to inconvenience anyone so I remained standing with the heavy bag on my shoulder. I must add that the bus was jam packed – and by that I mean people spilling out literally. The bus conductor must have noticed me standing because he turned to this guy sitting and told him in crude Hindi to move his butt from the seat. He then turned to me and very politely bade me to sit. After I was seated he took the tennis bag from me and gave it to the same guy who he had kicked off the seat and told him sternly to ‘hold madams bag’ for the remainder of the journey!  I really felt like royalty. Its experiences like this which really warm your heart.

We had a Diwali mela here in Central Park the week before last. Lots of stalls; food, games and there also was a diya painting stall which I was presiding over. I even made up a catchy jingle to help draw people to the stall. “Try diya painting, it’s mentally stimulating!!” But apparently diya painting is really uninteresting because even that didn’t win them over. People only started taking an interest when I told them that it was free! What cheapsters! I didn’t help my back much by then proceeding to do jumpies with kids but it was so much fun.

The soreness in my back has receded a little over the last 2 days so I have been going for walks. I still can’t run yet but walking is fine. On one of my walks I met this cute dog. A beagle with the saddest eyes you’ll ever see. And this dog must have really creatively inclined owners because they’ve named the dog - Brownie. Out of all the names they could choose from. I ask you! I don’t own a dog so for the want of one I bought a bonsai which is now called Booziette. The name actually evolved from Bamboozle to Boozle to Boozy. And then because I’m a girl I insisted that the plant should have a feminine name and so the ‘ette’ was added to the end. And so the name booziette was born. And then you hear about people naming their dog Brownie.

That’s it for now. Toodles. 

Getting Back into Action...

My recovery goes on, and I have now started playing one session full time. My back still gets sore especially after a tough session, and I have been working to keep it loose and also strengthening it. The good news is that I am hitting the ball well and clean and the timing is back.  I am still not sure when I will get back to my full training regimen.

My schedule remains the same. Get up at 6 – 6.15. Try to hit the road by 6.45. Start training by 730. Train till 10 and head back. It’s usually the Metro on the way back – unless my dad is travelling and I have the car to myself – and then the usual struggle to catch a bus/tempo/rickshaw for the final leg home.

I had this very weird experience on the bus last week. I took the bus back home from the Metro station as I couldn’t find anything else.  This was my first time on the bus. The bus was jam packed with people. It was the type with the nonexistent door and was in a state of general disrepair. Add to that a very chilled out bus driver, who was playing ancient songs, mostly Punjabi on the radio and singing along to them.  I was sitting next to this old woman , when suddenly out of the blue nudges me with her shoulder and tells me, ‘bade har*** ho aap! Now I thought this was a Hindi curse word but she seemed to say it with genuine affection. I still have no clue why she said that. Next time I meet her on the bus I am going to ask her why.

The Tennis Nationals have also been going on the past 2 weeks at DLTA.  It’s a bit disappointing I haven’t been able to play it because of my injury; I don’t want to risk hurting my back.  Most of the girls I was competing with did well at the tournament. This was probably one of my last chances to try for the under 18 title though I have another year to try for it. So there’s this huge board, with Fenesta Nationals written on it, and the board is more like a collage, which they’ve made out of the pictures of last year’s tournament players. Anyway there is this very unflattering picture of me, hitting a backhand. Basically my tongue is out, and my face is pink, and if that wasn’t bad enough they’ve blown the picture up, and used only my face. I can’t even walk past it without someone sniggering. I’m thinking of suing the tournament officials. The good news is that they think my photo may be a good draw so may be I can charge them for some endorsement fees.

I’m in Lucknow this week visiting my grandparents. Quick trip, just 2 days. I actually have quite a few relatives in Lucknow, both on my fathers and mothers side. I also visited my great grandmother who just turned the grand old age 95. I was just calculating; I’m 17 and she is 95 so she is approximately 6 times my age! Whoa! And she was 78 when I was born!!

Lucknow was short and sweet. I completely pigged out in Lucknow - panipuri , chaat and mutton kebabs….two things I just couldn’t get enough of! If any of you have not made the trip to Lucknow, I strongly suggest you make the trip only to try the different types of Awadhi cuisine – especially the kebabs. Considering how much I ate on this trip I’m pretty surprised I didn’t fall sick or anything, and I am definitely heavier. More fat to turn into muscle!

Back to Delhi tonight, and back to training. Hope to start playing competitively soon. This is the time when Asian tournaments happen so there is the added motivation to get fully ready.