At 33, tennis mom Nirupama is still motivated

NEW DELHI - India’s own tennis mom Nirupama Sanjeev, nee Vaidyanathan, has a dual purpose in staging a comeback. The mother of a four-year-old girl, the 33-year-old not only wants to motivate Gen Next but is also looking for a healthier lifestyle in the process. Nirupama could not have chosen a better time to rough it out than to prepare for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games.

She is a trailblazer in women’s tennis in the country in the 1990s, long before Sania Mirza became Indian tennis’s poster girl.

Nirupama was the first Indian woman to win a round in a Grand Slam tournament in the Open Era when as a 22-year-old she beat the then world No. 89 Italian Gloria Pizzichini in the first round of the Australian Open.

Her marriage to Sanjeev Balakrishnan, a software engineer, saw her shifting to California, but she kept in touch with the sport by running a tennis academy.

However, a comeback to the professional circuit was not on her mind till her pregnancy forced her to take to the game once again for a healthier lifestyle.

“My health started falling after my pregnancy and I needed to work on my health. So, I began playing tennis again. I played a couple of small tournaments and won them quite easily,” Nirupama told IANS in an interview.

“I then played in higher level tournaments. At the Pune ITF I won a round beating a player ranked 400. That may not mean much, but I felt that my game was pretty much there and it is the fitness that I needed to work on.

“I played in ITF tournaments in the US and China. In China, I even played three qualifying matches to enter the main draw which gave me confidence. In fact, I enjoyed myself competing on court,” said Nirupama, who won an Asian Games bronze with Mahesh Bhupathi in 1998 .

A call to attend the Commonwealth Games camp inPune gave her comeback a fairytale twist and soon she was hitting with girls much younger at Balewadi’s Sports Complex to make the cut for the Games.

“One of my biggest strengths is my communication. I have had no problems communicating with anyone, irrespective of age. I had a fantastic time in the camp with all the players. As far as age is concerned, I prefer to block that thought out,” she laughs.

“We are all players on court and age is really not an issue.”

Her selection brought cheers in her camp but with it also the awareness that it makes things only tougher for her.

“My biggest priority is my four-year old daughter Sahana. After my Commonwealth selection, I will really be counting on more support from my husband, my in-laws, everyone. When I am on court I can’t take care of her. She mostly travels with me wherever I play.”

Nirupama says she would like to help the young Indian girls in the sport and doesn’t rule out a long-term coaching assignment in the near future.

She feels she still has a lot to offer to her Commonwealth Games teammates. “I know what it is to be out on the highly competitive circuit and I am more than happy to help them out. But I just can’t go offering advice; initiative should come from the girls.

“I will definitely be interested in a coaching assignment with India. But right now Rico (Enrico Piperno) is doing a great job with the team. I am definitely looking at coaching some time in the future, may be when my daughter is old enough to take care of herself.

Nirupama is expected to boost India’s chances in the women’s doubles (most likely with Sania Mirza) and mixed doubles events.

“I have never played with Sania. We are planning how we can work things out; her schedule is very exacting. We will see if we could play some tournaments, though it looks tough. I have no ranking as of now; so unless we get a wildcard we won’t be able to play in any worthwhile competition.”

“I will do whatever the team captain decides.”

(Pragya Tiwari can be contacted at pragya.t@ians.in)