New Delhi: Ashwini Ponnappa had to overcome self-doubt to clinch her third Olympic quota and now, the Indian shuttler hopes to bring a similar "fighting mentality" in her quest for a medal in Paris.
The 34-year-old, who competed in the London and Rio Games in January last year, has qualified for this year's showpiece by pairing with 20-year-old Tanisha Crasto.
The last few weeks have been disappointing for the Indian players as they played five tournaments in six weeks to book a ticket to the French capital, while the final qualifying list is due to be released later this month. "We have played four tournaments in a row and It has been quite stressful but everyone was in the same boat because we were all competing for a place in the Olympics.
“For me personally, I am relieved and happy that we have qualified,” said Ashwini, who is managed by IOS Sports & Entertainment.,
Ashwini was happy to prove her doubters wrong. "I expected (to qualify). But I don't think anyone expected me to make it this far. Most people doubted that I would have." Will be able to come back also. We were starting from zero.But personally, it was me and I had a desire and a dream in my mind that we would qualify," she said,
The Ashwini-Tanisha pair started playing only in January 2023 and won two Super 100 titles in Abu Dhabi and Guwahati, besides reaching the finals of Odisha Super 100 and Syed Modi International Super 300.
They also reached the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Super 1000 in January. “Mentally the top 10 players are steady with their approach,” Ashwini said. “I think when I come to us, maybe we are either too excited or Or they get very upset on the court due to mistakes."
However, Ashwini said that she and Tanisha need to maintain composure between points to maximize their efforts."Either you're upset and then you're stuck for the next few points and you make more mistakes. Sometimes you're leading and then you can't take it easy on me because you're playing the best. So Their mentality is such that no matter what the scoreline is, they are like machines. "That's one thing, one area where Tanisha and I need to be stronger... We don't react too much to the good and bad points , but have a steady outlook and the mentality to fight to the end."
Despite being a relatively young pair, Ashwini feels that close contests against top players have given them the confidence that they can deliver good results in big events like the Olympics."In many ways, it's a privilege for people to have expectations of us, because it means they have hope and they see us as a couple that can do really well. Even though we've had a tough time this year, "We have (only) started playing big tournaments, but we have had some good wins, which gives us hope that we can compete with the best even at a big stage like the Olympics."
Ashwini is very happy with the way she has reshaped her game in the last few years.
“I'm much more open to the game and unlike before, where I used to howl like a madman from every corner, now I'm more like...If I don't get any points from a kill, then I also think it's definitely changed. "I'm not only relying on my strength to score points, but I'm also quite comfortable defending.My approach towards the game is so different now that I look at it as a holistic approach rather than a singular one. ,
Although things are going well for Ashwini at the moment, she had a tough time after the Rio Games and Commonwealth Games 2022.
Ashwini admitted that there were phases when she wanted to quit the game. "There were times when I struggled to continue playing. There were times when I really didn't want to play at all, those few years were really Were difficult.,
The Bengaluru-born shuttler had participated in the Rio Games along with Jwala Gutta after recovering from dengue, but returned without a medal after losing all the matches. Soon they parted ways and then Ashwini paired up with N Sikki Reddy.
"It hasn't been easy because I was struggling with a lot of pain after dengue. I didn't realize how bad it was until several months later." Ashwini and Sikki won a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a gold medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Also included in gold winning mixed team, but could not win any title on the tour."It's just that I couldn't really win with my partners. We never won. W got some really good wins and especially more so in the team events.
“But for me, mentally, I am kind of in a better phase after Covid. Although we (with Sikki) were aiming to qualify for Tokyo (Olympics), which did not happen.“Then I really needed a break because I had to reevaluate what I wanted, how I wanted to spend the last phase of my badminton career.”
The 34-year-old, who competed in the London and Rio Games in January last year, has qualified for this year's showpiece by pairing with 20-year-old Tanisha Crasto.
The last few weeks have been disappointing for the Indian players as they played five tournaments in six weeks to book a ticket to the French capital, while the final qualifying list is due to be released later this month. "We have played four tournaments in a row and It has been quite stressful but everyone was in the same boat because we were all competing for a place in the Olympics.
“For me personally, I am relieved and happy that we have qualified,” said Ashwini, who is managed by IOS Sports & Entertainment.,
Ashwini was happy to prove her doubters wrong. "I expected (to qualify). But I don't think anyone expected me to make it this far. Most people doubted that I would have." Will be able to come back also. We were starting from zero.But personally, it was me and I had a desire and a dream in my mind that we would qualify," she said,
The Ashwini-Tanisha pair started playing only in January 2023 and won two Super 100 titles in Abu Dhabi and Guwahati, besides reaching the finals of Odisha Super 100 and Syed Modi International Super 300.
They also reached the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Super 1000 in January. “Mentally the top 10 players are steady with their approach,” Ashwini said. “I think when I come to us, maybe we are either too excited or Or they get very upset on the court due to mistakes."
However, Ashwini said that she and Tanisha need to maintain composure between points to maximize their efforts."Either you're upset and then you're stuck for the next few points and you make more mistakes. Sometimes you're leading and then you can't take it easy on me because you're playing the best. So Their mentality is such that no matter what the scoreline is, they are like machines. "That's one thing, one area where Tanisha and I need to be stronger... We don't react too much to the good and bad points , but have a steady outlook and the mentality to fight to the end."
Despite being a relatively young pair, Ashwini feels that close contests against top players have given them the confidence that they can deliver good results in big events like the Olympics."In many ways, it's a privilege for people to have expectations of us, because it means they have hope and they see us as a couple that can do really well. Even though we've had a tough time this year, "We have (only) started playing big tournaments, but we have had some good wins, which gives us hope that we can compete with the best even at a big stage like the Olympics."
Ashwini is very happy with the way she has reshaped her game in the last few years.
“I'm much more open to the game and unlike before, where I used to howl like a madman from every corner, now I'm more like...If I don't get any points from a kill, then I also think it's definitely changed. "I'm not only relying on my strength to score points, but I'm also quite comfortable defending.My approach towards the game is so different now that I look at it as a holistic approach rather than a singular one. ,
Although things are going well for Ashwini at the moment, she had a tough time after the Rio Games and Commonwealth Games 2022.
Ashwini admitted that there were phases when she wanted to quit the game. "There were times when I struggled to continue playing. There were times when I really didn't want to play at all, those few years were really Were difficult.,
The Bengaluru-born shuttler had participated in the Rio Games along with Jwala Gutta after recovering from dengue, but returned without a medal after losing all the matches. Soon they parted ways and then Ashwini paired up with N Sikki Reddy.
"It hasn't been easy because I was struggling with a lot of pain after dengue. I didn't realize how bad it was until several months later." Ashwini and Sikki won a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a gold medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Also included in gold winning mixed team, but could not win any title on the tour."It's just that I couldn't really win with my partners. We never won. W got some really good wins and especially more so in the team events.
“But for me, mentally, I am kind of in a better phase after Covid. Although we (with Sikki) were aiming to qualify for Tokyo (Olympics), which did not happen.“Then I really needed a break because I had to reevaluate what I wanted, how I wanted to spend the last phase of my badminton career.”
