History should not repeat itself

I sat across from her in this quaint little coffee shop in Pune. She had asked me the previous day about meeting up with me- just to talk. She and her friend accompanied me in the short walk from Pune PYC Gymkhana to this coffee shop for breakfast.
We ordered some food and started chitchatting. She was a mixture of personalities. I sensed a bit of shyness, yet some resilience. There seemed to many questions, yet quiet determination.

Her first few questions were about tournament planning and what she can do to get to the next level. The first step towards getting better, in my view, is the shedding of ego- asking other people, seeking help. I was happy to see this in her. When I asked her who she travels with- she said "I travel alone". Those words sent me gasping and I looked at her incredulously. Nearly 15-20 years ago, I did it- I lived alone and traveled alone on the pro tennis tour and it seemed the only way.. But this is so many years later. And things haven't changed one bit for the current India's no.1??? I was utterly saddened as I listened to Ankita Raina, India no.1 female tennis player in that coffee shop. This was like history repeating itself. As shocking as it might be,this girl might have been me,20 years ago. In these things, history should not repeat itself. While she does get help from one sports authority in Gujrat, it isn't enough.

Despite the Sania Mirza phenomenon, the All India Tennis Association still continues to shy away from helping India's no.1 female player. This is the time she needs the financial support. She needs to travel with a coach who will also take care of all her travel requirements, visas, practice and all she needs to do is play tennis.

At a Rotary Club meeting in Pune, someone asked me "What is different between US or any other foreign country and India in terms of support from the tennis federation?" It caught me by surprise. Then it dawned on me that not everyone knows how it is outside of India. I explained to him that in US, if you are a top junior in your state( not even the best in the country), you have the luxury of free training with the USTA's top coaches, free tournament travel and safety. I remember traveling as a junior to International tournaments with my dad and looking at awe and much envy at the US junior team that came with 3 coaches with all their expenses taken care of. All they had to do was play! It truly pains me that in 25 years there is no system in place to even help the top woman player of the country. If the AITA does not have the funds, how difficult can it be for them to at least arrange for a sponsor for the top 3-4 female players through a private sponsor? Do they really care, is the question that comes to my mind....

To get to the next level, Ankita will need to base herself abroad and that will not be easy. She will need to shed all the familiarity of family, friends and go on the tough grind of pro tennis. But this would be a tough ask if she doesnt have the support.I told Ankita Raina " What you have to learn from Sania Mirza- was her belief in herself. She believed she belonged in the top 50 even before she got there". Ankita quiet resolve,belief in her work ethic and hard work will take her places, but she needs help and she needs it now!