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Over the past six months, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty has been making tennis fans in India sit up and take notice. After winning the singles and doubles title at the Fenesta Open Nationals in October, the 22-year-old has been achieving success on the international stage. She won an ITF W25 title in Bengaluru last November and reached the finals of ITF events in Thailand (October 2023) and Indore (March 2024).
With her tall, lean frame and power-packed groundstrokes, Bhamidipaty has climbed to No. 427 in the singles world rankings (making her the fifth-highest-ranked Indian) and No. 324 in the world doubles rankings. And she could go much further, even as high as the top 100, as former Indian Davis Cupper Vishal Uppal, who now also coaches Bhamidipaty, believes.
"Shrivalli is an excellent talent and she is a willing hard worker. Her mentality is improving and as she matures her performances will start becoming more consistent. We have certain goals/targets we are looking to achieve and I have every reason to believe she can crack Top 100 in the future. Of course, it’s a long and hard journey ahead and she will need the right support if she has to make it."
We sat down with Shrivalli Bhamidipaty before she set off to China to represent in the Billie Jean King Cup and spoke to her about her recent success, how she got involved in tennis and her goals for the future.
Exclusive Interview with Shrivalli Bhamidipaty
Sportskeeda: Can you tell our readers a little bit about how you got started with tennis and when did you realise that you wanted to play professionally?
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: My journey into the sport was quite accidental. I started playing tennis at the age of 11. Initially, I got into the sport as I was fascinated by the pretty dresses that the players and the kids wore and just wanted to wear them. A year went by and I slowly started developing love and passion for the sport and it just became a part of who I am.
Sportskeeda: You have had a good run on the tour over the last six months - winning the ITF 25K in Bengaluru, and reaching two finals including the ITF 35K in Nagpur. What's been the key to the improvement in your results in this span of time?
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: Since September 2023, when Mr.Vishal Uppal (former Davis Cup player and former Billie Jean King Cup India team captain) started mentoring and guiding me, there has been a major change in my game, mentality and self-belief. Winning the Fenesta Nationals last year also gave me a big boost as it was a long-awaited goal on my list. After that, I just started trusting myself more in every tournament that I played and just took one match at a time without thinking too much about the results.
Sportskeeda: You have beaten several higher-ranked players in recent months. How much of a confidence booster has that been knowing that you can compete with and beat players at a higher level?
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: It has been a great confidence booster for me. I played some high-quality matches against some really good players on the tour and from each match, I learnt something new. Also having some big wins under my belt surely has helped me trust myself even more and made me believe that I belong there.
Sportskeeda: What has been your proudest moment on the tennis court up until this point?
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: I can’t pinpoint any one match because every match was a hard-fought battle but I think winning against Nao Hibino, who was ranked 93 in the world and her career best was No 56, at the WTA $125K Mumbai Open, was one of the proudest moments for me.
Sportskeeda: You are now ranked inside the world's top 450. Where would you like to see yourself at the end of the 2024 season?
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: I'd like to be ranked in the top 200 and getting into Grand Slams.
Sportskeeda: All tennis players dream of winning a Grand Slam. If you could choose to win one, which of the four would it be and why?
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: I'd have to say the US Open and the Australian Open as I prefer hardcourts and they will suit my game style.
Sportskeeda: You have spoken about being inspired by Maria Sharapova. Can you tell us what specifically about her personality and her game you find inspiring? Also, what do you think of Maria Sharapova, the businesswoman?
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: As I said before, I got into tennis because of the dresses and Sharapova being the best-dressed player of all time and the way she carried herself on and off court is something that I really admire.
As for Maria the businesswoman, I don’t know enough to comment about it.
Sportskeeda: After the retirement of Sania Mirza, India has struggled to produce another player who has been able to make a mark at the WTA Tour level as of now. What's your take on the Indian women's tennis scene currently and what do you think can be done to improve it?
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: Hopefully, you will see me at the WTA level soon. The standard of Indian tennis players has definitely improved. There are quite a few good players now who are moving in the right direction. All of us are very young including myself and we have many more years ahead of us. I surely feel that there is a lot of potential in women’s tennis which can be moulded well with a lot more support, match experience and some good mentoring.
Sportskeeda: Can you tell us who are all part of your team right now?
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: My team consists of Mr.Vishal Uppal who has been mentoring me since the last seven months, Mr.A R Anand Kumar, (coach) Mr. Shiva & Mr. Naidu (trainers) and Mrs.Shruti Punit (Physio).
Sportskeeda: Tennis is an expensive sport at the international level. Do you wish that there was more support from the federations and private institutions to fund tennis players for them to travel/ train across the globe through the year?
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: Yes absolutely. It makes a world of a difference with the right support and funding as tennis being an expensive sport, we have to travel almost 30-40 weeks during the year to compete in tournaments and training. It is also important to keep our body fit and healthy while competing for which you want to travel with a physio/ trainer. We need more funding so that we can travel with our coach and physio as most international players travel with them, which gives them an edge over us at times.
Sportskeeda: What does Shrivalli do when she's not training and competing on the tennis court? What are the things you do to take your mind off tennis and de-stress?
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: I usually read some books or listen to some good music or go for a swim. Just hangout with family or friends. I’m also a trained classical singer and music is a great source of relaxation for me.
Sportskeeda: From the current set of active players, which are your favourites to watch on the men's side and women's side?
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: On the men's side, it would be Novak Djokovic and on the women's side, it would be Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina.
Sportskeeda: Three things your fans would be surprised to know about you!!
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty: I love to cook, I can be very clumsy and I’m interested in fashion.
