Year 2017, my little warrior (because when she was born, no one could believe she could even run as she was born in the 7th month only) started her serious tennis journey in Faridabad.
In the past 7 years, whether she won or lost, she didn’t miss a single day of her practice. She continues to hit the ball as hard as ever. It’s just our (mine and my wife’s) good luck to see her on the court and watch her hitting the ball. We never pushed her to win, just told her to give her 100% in whatever she wants to do.
She never spoke to us about her passion for tennis in the past 6 years. Whatever comes, win or loss or seeding, to be true, it hardly matters to her. Although sometimes as parents we both (me and my wife) think about the politics of the game and tournaments, but then it just becomes secondary when she says “papa it’s 2:30 pm time to go to academy”. We both just forget everything and get on the wheels.
6 months back, one day she asked if she was not ready for the next level. I simply replied, “Show your potential on court, reach quarterfinals of any ITF tournament and we will play a tournament outside India for exposure and your confidence.” I believe it’s the hard work, passion, and commitment that led her to be in the quarterfinals of 2 ITF juniors in Madurai and Bhilai in the year 2023.
As per our commitment, we planned an ITF juniors tournament in Thailand on June 19th, 2023. We landed in Thailand on June 14th, 2023 – me and Suhani’s first time out of India for her tennis match. She is more confident, more passionate, more enthusiastic than ever to be on the ground, in very different conditions. Very humid, very slow courts with very different balls. I always said it’s all in your mind how you behave on courts.
As per the draw, her first match was a bye. The second match was with a local player who reached the second round by beating her opponent comfortably. Finally, she is on the court for her first match overseas – a real wonderful feeling for me and Sangeeta (my wife). Our Choti fighting for her passion.
She started hitting the ball hard as always and won 6-1, 6-0. First win overseas. The second match was scheduled on the same day as the third round. Thank God for a rain interruption that delayed it for 3 hours, allowing her to regain her strength. The match started and she was down 2-6, 0-3 with lots of unforced errors. I was watching her.
She was so different from her usual self – calm and focused. Her movement was faster than before and her shots were getting better and better. I quietly watched her and truly enjoyed it. She started trailing – 1-3, 1-4, 2-4, 3-4, 4-4, 5-4, 6-4. She won the second set. Now the match is into a Super tiebreak. Looking at the condition, I had confidence that now she could pull through as her opponent was getting frustrated with every point scored. She won 10-6 in the super tiebreak. When she came out she said it’s just will power that matters…
In conclusion, Suhani’s journey as an aspiring tennis player serves as a testament to the importance of passion and perseverance in achieving one’s dreams. Her unwavering commitment to practice every day, coupled with her ability to rise above setbacks and embrace challenges head-on, has brought her success on both national and international stages. Through this remarkable story of determination, we are reminded that true victories are not solely measured by wins but by personal growth and resilience along the way. May this tale inspire all readers to pursue their passions and overcome obstacles on their own unique paths to success.