How overtrained bodies and undercooked techniques derail India’s women’s tennis players

When Pranjala Yadlapalli won back-to-back ITF titles in Lagos in 2018, there was optimism in the air about Indian women’s tennis. “Just like Sania Mirza,” it was said, for twin titles in the Nigerian capital had heralded a steep rise in the legend’s success back in 2004. Backed the same Hyderabad business conglomerate, Pranjala was poised for bigger things as she reached World No 265, before she slid down the familiar slope of injuries with very fragmented expertise available to her in how to deal with them at age 19.This last week at Pune’s Balewadi stadium, the Indian women’s team took another tiny step forward, making playoffs of the Billie Jean King Cup, led Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, also a Hyderabadi. But that dreaded shadow of injuries derailing any career about to take off, still haunts Indian women. Ankita Raina, now 32, maxed out at World No 160 in singles after Mirza. But when current top player, Hyderabad’s Sahaja Yamalapalli cramped out and missed the next tie in punishing conditions, those old fears were peeking out of the shadows. Karman Thandi, 26, has been in and out of injury, and a recent wildcard hasn’t exactly resuscitated her career.
Pranjala had perhaps the same buzz surrounding her at 15, like Maaya Rajeshwaran does right this moment. But things don’t take time to go awry in tennis.
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Twenty years back, China took a conscious decision to prioritise women’s tennis, following it up with a robust program for its elite players. Now calls are growing in India to support the current bunch in the 16-24 age group and try plugging gaps that have cost Pranjala a solid 4-5 years. Courtside in Pune where she was invited as a former Fed Cup player, she ventured, “I still love tennis, I still want to come back. But I look back and wonder what could’ve been if I had guidance on injury management, tournament schedules, fitness and knew what to do,” she says.
It wasn’t that she fell short on effort. On the contrary, she overtrained. “In my teens, I played and trained a lot, and we had zero knowledge of recovery. One injury led to the next – back, hips, knees, ankle, and my recent awareness taught me I overtrained. I wouldn’t go to get massages, and just kept grinding. In the gym, I lifted so much, got too stiff, and mobility, flexibility suffered,” she recalls. Overloading and pumping too much iron first led to a minor disc bulge and then a nerve impingement. Muscle imbalancing saw her go weak on one side. “Maybe if I’d known. What needed 2 months took 6 months to heal.”
Third-day period cramps had drained her when she led 6-3, 5-2, 30-30 in a WTA125, and though she lost to Top 70 Luksika Kumkhum, her showing gave her immense confidence. She was buzzing, and that high, ironically, led her down the path to peril. “When you are playing well, you want to work harder, jump higher in ranks, quicker. You end up overdoing warmps, gym work, court training and rush through rehabs. I needed to cut down, train less, not more. But I couldn’t say No. I kept going, and collapsed.”
The ‘pop’ sound of the hamstring getting busted still rings in her ears, and she winces on the left leg stretch. With her protected ranking expired, Pranjala is now in 1400s, but for someone who panicked at the sight of her first cortisone injection as she called up Mirza almost in tears, she says the learning phase could’ve been shorter. “You need coaches who tell you to not push too hard, a travelling physio or just someone who tells you to get the massage and not pretend to be strong. Otherwise the spiral with niggles, foot, ankle, shoulder, and you are utterly lost,” she says.Story continues below this ad
The last two years have seen Indian women’s players bounce back faster from injuries, as the current crop, supported Pune’s Lakshya Sports, has invested in early physical conditioning and injury prevention.
For someone like 24-year-old Sahaja, ranked 316, other issues need correction. Both Sahaja and Shrivalli jumped from 500s to Top 350 after making quarterfinals in Mumbai last year. But Sahaja especially needs to sort out her serve, though her groundstrokes are fairly powerful and reliable.
“Serve is complicated in my case. When growing up I picked up bad technique and I have to keep changing things. It’s work in progress,” she says, enunciation changes in loading, jump, and the bow pull of the arm back. Playing against Top 100s is lots of work. “They’re mentally stronger, tactically smarter, and understand opponents’ games quicker. But fitness is a notch up. If we start travelling with a coach, we will know we have support and are not alone versus a player and coach,” Sahaja says.
Pune tournament director Sundar Iyer says the momentum from India’s progress to playoffs needs to be maintained. “India’s top players need to travel as a group and AITA (tennis Federation) needs to send a coach and physio with them. They need 360-degree help – nutrition, mental training, game analysis, sparrers for hitting and in planning schedules. India’s hosting more tournaments now, but if we don’t support this bunch for next 3-4 years, we would’ve wasted another crop of talent,” he says.Story continues below this ad
India last sent anyone in the junior Grand Slams, before Covid hit, in the form if Shruti Ahlawat. But as the Pranjala Yadlapalli case shows, the best and earliest scouting and potential can get derailed if not properly supported.