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While tennis at the Asian Games started on 24th September, the Fenesta Nationals was underway. 36-year-old former Asian Games medalist and Olympian Vishnu Vardhan managed to seal his place in the quarterfinals by playing exquisite tennis. The Fenesta Nationals has long been an important tournament in the country, having played host to many stalwarts of the game from Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati to Rohan Bopanna among others.
Tennis events concluded on 30th September 2023 at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. A total of 9 players were sent as part of the Indian tennis contingent, in a hope that recent performances would propel the team to win medals for the country.
The continental event served as the last Asian Games for veteran stalwart Rohan Bopanna, who recently reached the US Open finals. A gold medal defense was on the cards for him, as was a bronze medal for Ankita Raina.
India returned with two medals from Hangzhou, one gold in mixed doubles and one silver in men's doubles. Several high-profile candidates like Sumit Nagal and Ankita Raina faltered at crucial junctures, while Bopanna's and Rutuja Bhosale's gold medal served as a reminder of India's prowess in the sport.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Vishnu Vardhan gave his thoughts on the performance of Indians at the 2023 Asian Games, and also shed light on the overall achievements of Indian athletes from all sports in Hangzhou.
"Tennis is a sport where it's not a league format, it's a knockout. So a day where it doesn't really work out for you makes it tough. I was expecting a little bit more in terms of the medal tally, given that Ankita (Raina), Sumit Nagal and Yuki (Bhambri) were in really good form. The main struggles were surprising. Rohan and Yuki going out. But at the same time, Ram Kumar and Sathya had a splendid performance. And it's great to see Rohan and Rutuja win gold. But overall, it's been a good performance." he said.
"We can now definitely dice some things, whether the combination chosen was right or not. If Ram and Rohan, who won multiple ATP tournaments together, could have partnered up. So, now we can speak a lot. But at that time, they went purely by ranking. The idea was to see both our teams getting into the men's doubles finals of Asian Games. Even if I would have been there, I would have probably ended up choosing these players only as the team. But, sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes it doesn't. Overall, the players' preparation and performance were really good. The result is not really in your hands.", he added.
"This kind of performance definitely inspires a different generation of players, let it be from the grassroots level to the elite" - Vishnu Vardhan has optimistic outlook on Indian sports
Vishnu Vardhan was enthusiastic and proud about India's overall performance as a nation in the Asian Games, and talked about its ramifications on sports as we head into the Paris Olympics.
"It's really great that compared to last time, our performance is so much more better. Our biggest competitor in Asian Games is China, and this is their home ground. So, to win more number of medals in China's home ground shows how much we have improved as a sporting nation. But at the same time, so much more can be done. Much more can be done when compared to what China, Korea, and Japan are doing for their players. It is still a lot more achieved through individual merit than from a structured system." he said.
"The system is kind of falling in place, but I think it is still under construction. So, once we really figure out the right system for the support of sports, then we can see this kind of performance, not just in Asian Games, but in Olympics. And that would be a dream for any sports person.", he added.
He was appreciative of the Indian performance in China and saw how it helped them prepare for Paris.
"This kind of performance definitely inspires a different generation of players, let it be from the grassroots level to the elite. We cannot just think about the Olympics which is there in two years. You need to think about the Olympics which is there ten years later, because that is where I feel we will actually flourish. So, this performance like this will inspire the grassroots, and at the same time it gives a lot of relief to the next set of players. It gives them the confidence and belief that if Rohan Bhaiya or Sunit Bhaiya have done this performance, then we also stand a chance. So, definitely we will see a rise in the medals going forward for the next few Olympics.", he said.
Finally, Vishnu reflected on his own journey in the Fenesta Nationals, after his quarterfinal loss to Karan Rastogi.
"I'm kind of satisfied. I wouldn't say I'm really happy with my result as such, but I'm happy with the way I performed in my tournament. Last year I finished as a semi-finalist and my plan was that I come back next year to go beyond and to make a march into the finals of the events. That was my target getting into this tournament. In the quarter-finals, Karan Singh,whom according to me is the hot favourite in this event, was very comfortable on court and he was definitely the better player yesterday.", he said.
"Right now the courts at the stadium are playing really fast. So, I think they are the style of Karan Singh. But it also depends on how much error Karan is going to make against Manish in the semifinals. If he can cut down his errors, then definitely he has a chance to win the semi-finals and also take the title back home for him.", he added.
India's 2 medals in tennis at the Asian Games added to their overall tally of 107 medals (and counting). 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals have been won so far. The Asian Games will conclude on 7th October 2023, after which a closing ceremony would take place.
