A single week can sometimes change the direction of an athlete’s career. For Vaishnavi Adkar, that defining moment arrived at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium in Bengaluru, where the 21-year-old scripted a breakthrough run at the ITF W100 Bengaluru, emerging as runner-up after a stunning campaign against elite opposition.
Entering the tournament as a wildcard, Adkar was far from being considered a title contender. Yet over the course of the week, she dismantled expectations and higher-ranked rivals, defeating three players ranked above her, including two inside the world’s top 150. The result was a dramatic leap of 224 places in the WTA rankings, elevating her to world No 466 and making her India’s No 2 singles player, behind only Sahaja Yamalapalli.
Despite the scale of her achievement, Adkar remained grounded when reflecting on her run. “I think it was a wonderful week for me,” said Adkar. If I’m being honest, I didn’t really expect it either, but it’s not like an overnight thing that just happened, and I just ended up playing the finals. It’s just that I’ve been working for it for years and I’ve not had many good results, but I’m sure, like this is just a fruit of the efforts that I’ve been putting in, and it’s just going to get better from here on.”
While her remarks may suggest a player still searching for validation, Adkar’s resume already includes being crowned national champion last year and winning a historic bronze medal at the World University Games, India’s first in women’s tennis in 46 years. But by her own standards, the previous season fell short.
“It (last season) didn’t go the way I wanted it to,” she said. I think that’s just part of how the sport works. In tennis, there are more losses than wins. I had certain goals for myself with the rankings, and I couldn’t achieve them. So for me, it was very tough, especially on my mind, because I was putting in the work, but things still didn’t work out the way I wanted them to. I had started to doubt myself.”
That self-reflection eventually led to a bold decision. In December, Adkar left behind her comfort zone and longtime coach Kedar Shah, shifting base to Bengaluru to train at the Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy. What began as an experiment soon evolved into a turning point.
Under the guidance of Rohan Bopanna and veteran coach Balachandran Manikkath, Adkar found renewed structure in her training, with an increased emphasis on point play, adaptability, and match awareness.
“Getting tips from people who have experienced it themselves makes a huge difference,” said Vaishnavi. It’s a completely different perspective on how you read the game and not everyone understands what goes through a player’s mind.”
Those lessons came to the fore in Bengaluru, especially after a difficult week in Pune where cramps forced her to retire in the opening round.
“Last week in Pune, I had to retire midway in the first round due to cramps. So I knew it was very important for me to make the most of the chance I got here as a wild card,” said Vaishnavi. “The most important thing was not to feel the pressure and have self-belief. I just wanted to keep things clear in my head and play it one point at a time.
And as I progressed deeper into the tournament, the self-belief and confidence gradually got better.”
Her run to the final made her the first Indian woman since Sania Mirza to reach a W100 final, a milestone that hints at her growing stature on the international circuit.
With a career-high ranking now behind her, Adkar’s focus shifts to the next big target: breaking into India’s squad for the home Billie Jean King Cup Asia Oceania Group I in April. She has yet to represent the country at the prestigious event, but if her Bengaluru performance is any indication, Vaishnavi Adkar may be closer than ever to taking that long-awaited step.
(Quotes sourced from The Bridge)
