Playing It Cool
For six-foot-tall, Delhi girl Karman Kaur Thandi, the current No. 1 Indian women’s tennis singles player, world domination is simply the next step in her journey
It takes a special kind of motivation to dedicate one’s entire life to a sport. But sport is in Karman Kaur Thandi’s blood. Karman’s maternal grandfather, a retired police officer, represented India at the 110 metres hurdles at the Asia Cup. Her mother, Rajandeep Thandi, ran the 100 metres and also competed in long jumps. Her father’s side of the family, Karman says, was always more interested in studying! Born and brought up in New Delhi, Karman and her brother Simranjit were both active kids. When she was eight, her parents put both children in tennis lessons during the summer vacation. “I improved really fast in tennis; the coaches also saw potential, so they eventually told mum and dad, ‘she should pursue this.’ But the main thing was, I really enjoyed playing tennis,” she says. She then started playing junior tournaments. The first tournament she ever played, she lost at the finals. “But I made the finals,” Karman emphasises. “The competition, the urge of going out there to win—that really motivated me to get going in this sport.”
Eye on the ball
As Karman started playing tournaments like the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Juniors—she played all four grand slams—it gave her a peek into what would come if she pursued tennis professionally. “Being there in the Junior Grand Slams, Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open, and watching the top players play, practice and compete, was incredibly motivating,” she recalls. “The only thought I had was to play seniors at the Grand Slam.”
She considers herself lucky that her parents have always been 100 per cent supportive of her journey. “My brother, my entire family, have all sacrificed so much, but it’s been a choice we made. There’s nothing we regret doing. Hats off to my mum and dad for supporting me throughout.”
Personally, Karman describes herself as an introvert. And, she says, she isn’t a different person on the court. “Everything that you are off-court comes into play when you’re on the court,” she says. “But maybe you can’t be as nice as you are off-court. You have to fight for the win.”
Believe it
Currently, Karman is at the RoundGlass Tennis Academy in Chandigarh, training for six to eight hours a day. This wouldn’t be considered ‘normal’ for most 24-year-olds, but she has zero regrets. “It’s my choice. This is how I want to live.”
She recently won the $60,000 ITF tournament in Canada. However, she reckons her biggest career high so far has been ranking 196 in the WTA rankings, in 2019. After that she suffered a shoulder injury which put her off tennis for about nine months.
“Now I’m at a low; I’m in the top 220, but it gives me a chance to play the Grand Slams again, come January,” she reveals.
Her ultimate goal? “I want to be Top 10 or 20 in the world,” she says without hesitation.
ART DIRECTION BY AMIT MALIK; HAIR AND MAKEUP BY PALLAVI KAPOOR
“I spend six to eight hours a day training, starting at 7am. I play two hours of tennis, eat lunch, then play another hour and a half, then two hours of fitness, then recovery for another hour, and then I go home.” KARMAN THANDI,
Tennis player