Ankita Raina - A true embodiment of resilience and honest passion

Proud to bring to you yet another great young achiever from #TheResilientTribe, Ankita Raina - a very talented and promising Tennis player. She is ranked number one in Women’s Single rankings in India (yes that is correct! Sania Mirza is top ranked in doubles). She is the first Kashmiri Hindu sportswomen to have made a mark at international level at such a young age.

Don’t miss this interesting conversation I had with her amidst her very tight schedule.

Ankita, I feel proud for every Kashmiri Hindu who has come up in life despite all the adversities and vagaries of life. But, I feel extremely proud talking to you because you are an achiever in the field of sports which is very rare in our community. I am sure your story will inspire many; those who have dreams but lack courage, those who aspire to do well in sports but fear because it is a road less traveled, those who have talent but lack conviction and belief.

RRB - So, tell me more about your journey. How and when did it all start?

Ankita -  My mother Mrs. Lalita Raina, introduced me to the sport at the young age of 4. She is a sports enthusiast and was a table tennis player as well as in athletics herself. I have an elder brother (Ankur Raina) who also used to play the same sport i.e. Tennis because we had an academy right behind our house in Ahmedabad named Ageta.

RRB - I am very curious to understand that what made you believe that you can do it. With your cousin’s and relatives around you pursuing academics it must have been a very tough decision for you and your parents

Ankita -  It was a mother’s belief in her daughter! And she believed that nothing could stop her or her daughter if there is hard work, determination and faith in God. Yes of course there will be tremendous challenges but those are the times God is testing your belief in him and your attitude, says my mother. She's always been my pillar of strength. I think both my parents were ready to take the risk and support me because of the hardships that they have been through in the past during migration and I feel that has made us Kashmiris very strong, sincere and dedicated people.

RRB -  Your parents must be very progressive and forward looking. This decision to support you must have cost them personal comforts too.

Ankita - Yes, definitely! It will be very difficult for me to express it to anyone how much my family has sacrificed for me and my dreams. Tennis is a very expensive sport and I come from a humble background but my parents never told me that it wasn't possible for them financially. Also, I think it takes a very strong heart and an open mind to let your daughter travel alone when she is only 13 years old.

RRB - Where is your family from, in Kashmir?

Ankita -  My mother is from Drusu in Pulwama district and father belongs to Tral in Pinglish  district.

RRB - Being a part of displaced Kashmiri Hindu refugee family; has it been a source of motivation or you felt even bogged down at times.

Ankita - Though it’s a bit painful memory for our families, I still always try to take positives from every situation and so take it as a motivation to work hard and shine the name of our country and community. I’m grateful that during those tough times Gujarat welcomed us with warmth and love, where the journey of my tennis began.

RRB -  You must have faced challenges at every stage. I also read about Mr. Modi coming to your help when he was CM of Gujarat

Ankita -  Yes, there have been a lot of challenges and I think that’s what makes the journey special. The turning point in my career was in 2013 when our honourable prime minister Shri Narendra Modi sir (then chief minister of Gujarat) stepped in and assured me that the finances will be taken care of and the only thing I should be focusing on is my game. Since then I have been supported by Sports Authority of Gujarat under the Shaktidhoot Yojna, which not only helped me but all the other sports persons of Gujarat and has changed the face of sports in Gujarat.

RRB - A Sports person has to lead a very disciplined life. What is your routine like and how do you manage to remain focused?

Ankita -  On a training day when I’m home, I wake up at 6am and start my day with meditation for about 20 mins. My tennis practice starts at 7:30am and is divided into two sessions a day, first one is from 7:30-10am and I have a break from 10-11am. Then for 30mins I have my injury prevention training and I start tennis again from 11:30am until 1:30pm. Then I have gap of about 2-3 hours where I have my lunch, rest a bit and run around doing other administration duties related to tennis or some college work (though I’m lucky to have my family and coaches helping me with these things, there are always a few things which are have be done by the professional athlete). I have my physical training late in the afternoons which includes gym/strength training or tennis specific training on every alternate day for about 2hrs or 2:30hrs depending on the training. By the time I’m home its 8pm and I’m completely exhausted. Dinner for me is around 8:30/9pm since my mother goes to work and also manages the household which a bit rare and tough nowadays. Also dinner is the time when I interact with my family and unwind. By 10pm I'm already fast asleep. I think when you are a professional and have a goal, you automatically are focused because when you love doing something, you are completely into it.

RRB - What would be your advice for the youth in community who aspire to be in sports?

Ankita - Be ready to go through the grind and enjoy the journey/process at the same time because the moment of victory is too short to live and what you actually remember is the journey. There’s no other way out to hard work be it anything for that matter studies, sports or extra-curricular. Don't chase results/marks/success, etc., put all the focus and energy on the process which will help you achieve your goal, focusing on the result will only make you think about the consequences which leads to worries and pressure and so be in the present. The last thing will be, believe in yourself, give your best and leave the rest to God.

RRB - With Indian sportswomen creating magic in Rio Olympics, you must be feeling very motivated. What are your future plans?

Ankita - Yes, definitely feeling very proud and motivated by everyone’s performance out there. I think the fact that we had so many athletes performing in Rio, even after all the tough times each one of them went through, itself is a big motivation in it. My future goals are to win medals for India in the coming Asian and Common Wealth Games. Another goal is to win the Grand Slams and become world no.1

RRB – I would say Amen to that and pray that we see you soon crowned with a Grand Slam title.

Who is your role model? I mean who do you idolize?

Ankita - My role model is none other than my mother. I get a lot of inspiration and motivation from my mother, she’s like my hero/heroin! She’s my pillar of strength and has always got my back no matter what. In tennis, my favourite players are Serena Williams and Raffel Nadal.

RRB -  On a lighter note, has your success in sports got something to do with surname ‘Raina’ J

Ankita - On a lighter note, I think it’s the other way round! Jokes apart, I believe in being a good human being and everything else comes later. Good deeds and hard work take you a long way and even if it doesn't work like that, I choose to be a good person over anything else.

Thanks a lot for talking to me, Ankita. Wishing you a brilliant career and hope to see you on the podium in next Olympics

Rakesh Roshan Bhat (RRB)