One week in the city she loves and Joshna Chinappa feels rejuvenated. Spending time in Chennai is always special for her. The IPL flavour has hit the country but not her. Joshna prefers to stay away from the idiot box and trains at a doubles camp in the city. One week is up, the bags are packed and she is off to England to get more training ahead of the British Open which starts on May 14.
In between all this hustle, she takes time out to share her experiences. Forty minutes, a gruelling match and a victory, that’s how long it took for Joshna to bag her ninth WSA tour title at the Country Club of Virginia. The World No 21, seeded second, upset former world champion and top seed Rachael Grinham to win the Richmond Open recently.
The win was all the more memorable as it was Joshna’s first win against the Australian in six meetings and came just a week after she lost to the same opponent in Texas. “I have moved past that win,” she says. “I have lost to Rachael many times before. It was good to finally beat her in a final.”
So what’s different this time around? “I was a lot more relaxed and did not take any pressure. I didn’t make specific changes. Just played the way I wanted to. Staying calm was the key. The plan was to keep the ball tight, for she is a very crafty player and has had a good season,” Joshna adds.
A household name of squash in India, it’s been a dream run for the Coorgi this year. She broke into the top-20, won two WSA titles and is looking to add many more to her kitty. “It has been one of my best seasons so far. I hope to move further up the rankings. It’s only May and there are seven more months to go. I hope to take this good form further.”
Considering that the Commonwealth and Asian Games are just around the corner, her form is encouraging. “A medal depends on how well you play on that day. But I feel I have a good chance of winning in the individual category and a much higher chance of bagging a medal in doubles at the Commonwealth Games.”
Three years ago, she injured her knee and had to take a break for almost 10 months. Her ranking dipped to 71. But Joshna isn’t one to give up and soon after, she was back doing what she loves the most.
“I definitely wanted to play again. Never thought of quitting but I also didn’t think I would make it to the top 20. In the beginning, it was tough as I could not even walk properly. So I moved to Mumbai to start afresh. Everything was new there. I worked with an Egyptian trainer and he is one of the reasons I play squash today,” she recalls.
It was worth all the pain as she made a phenomenal comeback which included winning more national championships, a much-awaited title in Chennai, WSA crowns and being honoured with the Arjuna Award. “Winning in Chennai was special because though I am a Coorgi, I am a squash player because of this city. That was a great way to make a comeback,” she says.
On promoting the sport, she said, “We need more tournaments in India so that top players come here. That’s how squash will grow in India. The sport is most focussed in Chennai, that’s why we have many players emerging from the city. It should be the same throughout the country,” she adds. For now, it’s over to England.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport / by Krithika Gopalkrishnan – Chennai / May 05th, 2014
