Dubai: For Tanisha Crasto, the world came crashing down when her mixed doubles partner Ishaan Bhatnagar suffered a ACL tear, ending the 21-year-old’s dream of qualifying for the Paris Olympics. However, her partnership with veteran Ashwini Ponnappa, which was forged in January 2023, gave the Dubai-born Crasto a glimmer of hope. It was an uphill task to move up the ranking and dethrone the established partnership of Gayathri Gopichand and Tressa Jolly. Crasto and Ponnappa managed to outwit the duo to seal the spot in the Paris Games.
“It feels amazing to be playing in the Olympics. It’s always been my dream. A lot of emotions together with a lot of excitement and nervousness. A whole set of mixed emotions, but I’m happy and grateful that I’m part of this year’s Olympics,” Crasto told Gulf News from her training base in Hyderabad, India.
A new beginning
The journey with Ponappa began at a slow pace, without much expectation. But the start of the new year kick-started the partnership into top gear, with the thrust coming in late last year.
“Initially, we didn’t think about the Olympics, but when I met Ashwini didi [elder sister], we realised that we had great scope. We enjoyed playing together as our game styles suited each other. And slowly the little wins actually made it to the bigger picture, and that’s why we are in the Olympics,” said Crasto. She, along with Ponappa, took the baby steps towards the Paris dream, starting at Nantes and then their journey gathered momentum at her second home in the UAE clinching the inaugural Abu Dhabi Masters in October.
Climbing the ranks
The next four tournaments saw Crasto and Ponnappa clinching a medal, which gave them the confidence and points to move up the rankings. They moved into the Top 20, after starting beyond 100 in January 2023, based on consistent performances in the Indonesia Masters, Malaysian Open, and Spain Masters. They also made the last 16 in the Asian Championships in China.
As they were closing in on the Olympic spot, the experience of 34-year-old Ponnappa, who won the bronze in the 2011 World Championship in London, ensured Crasto kept her calm and composed, which worked wonders. “Yes, when you are in the race for a spot in the Olympics, I need to be the best version of myself. I didn’t think much about the qualification and it proved to be a blessing as otherwise or else I would have cracked under the pressure. Each tournament is important and I want to take it as it comes,” added the former Indian High School, Dubai, student, who said unseating her friend Gopichand and Jolly wasn’t an easy task.
“It does feel great. There has been a healthy competition between the both of us [between her and Gopichand], which we think actually boosts us and motivates us to perform better. We are really good friends; it’s an awkward situation that I had to stop my friend from taking part in the Olympics, but off court we have great camaraderie.”
The impact of Ashwini Ponnappa
Apart from the change in attitude, the association with Ponnappa has brought about a significant change in Crasto’s game. The training became more focused, and the discipline that came along with it was just the missing link in the puzzle for Crasto to crack the code.
“There are a lot of changes Ashwini has brought into my game. She is experienced and disciplined, and there is always so much to learn from her. I became a much more disciplined person being with her and started doing a lot of yoga and meditation. We do a lot of match analysis. One of the greatest takeaways from this partnership is that we sit down together to identify the issues and find a solution together, not individually, which has ensured the graph stayed progressively upwards,” Crasto said.
“There has never been any blame game, which you do see in a lot of partnerships. This has not been the case in our partnership. There has been less chaos and more understanding. Even with my fitness and training plans, there has been a lot of discipline. We know what we want to do in training and get to the finer details like maintaining our sleep and food.”
The role of food and team chemistry
Food has played a big role in bringing Crasto and Ponnappa together. A casual conversation at a restaurant highlighted the bond they share. But in a competitive environment, when someone fails to live up to expectations, there are bound to be emotions and reactions. How do they deal with it?
“We just take our time out and when we are ready to speak again, then we will decide to go to some restaurant as we like talking about it over the food table. Again, we don’t react to it but find solutions to the problems,” said Crasto. The favorite food of the duo, who are currently ranked 21, is Asian cuisine. The Paris Olympics is going to have a rich Asian flavour, with just three of the top 30 pairings from European countries.
“The preparations are going well, and the training sessions have been hectic. We are all working together, which is the best part. The goal in Paris is always going to be the goal, but for now, I am looking at being the best version of myself,” Crasto said before rushing to another practice session in Hyderabad.
