Gritty wheelchair tennis ace Shilpa KP makes an extraordinary effort to break into world's top 40

Bengaluru, 

India’s top wheelchair tennis player Shilpa K.P. has already achieved a great deal in her career. She has become the country’s first ranked in her sport, beaten all odds off the court and has continued to grow and rank at 64 in her best yet. However, her goal this year is to be in the top 40 in the world. Speaking to News Trail, she gave a glimpse into her pursuit of the goal and the monumental challenges she is overcoming in order to do it.

Talking about her historic break into the under 100 ranking, she said, “I had dreamed of breaking into the top 100 from before. First I had to become India No. 1, which I did in 2021. After that the target was below 100 and last year I achieved it.” While pursuing sports is a hard task in the country, it becomes even harder for parasports. Shilpa K.P. grew up in Mandya in an agricultural family and started playing tennis in 2010, turning professional in 2019 in a pursuit to achieve something and be independent.

However, the road was extremely difficult to go, especially due to the lack of financial support. “When I came in 2010 I didn’t have any equipment. A sports wheelchair starts around 4 lakhs, getting tennis rackets, kits, balls was very hard. No sponsors were supporting me very well. I was using cycle tubes as theraband. When I played in the international ITF in 2014, there were expensive fees and I had a lot of issues with getting into the tournaments,” Shilpa said.

After a few sponsors came forward like Topspin Academy, Astha Foundation and Sunil Jain, she was able to finally become professional and participate regularly in tournaments and grow into her sporting career. However, she continued putting all her efforts that she could. “ When I speak it’s hard to convey just how much hard work I have done. Even after becoming professional I would do work at home and go to the gym at 5 AM or to the academy in Nayandahalli. I would have tennis training in the morning and then gym in the afternoon. I would get tired travelling from one place to the other,” she said.

However all of that work paid off last May when she broke into the top 100. Detailed meetings with her coaches, focusing on training plans, improving her game and what it would take to achieve her goals were key in the progression. This progression still continues as the top athlete aims to go sub 40. This consistency in performance and drive is her superpower. “I have a dream to go to the Olympics and therefore I am working so, so hard to achieve it,” she said. One of the biggest challenges, however, is the sports system itself.

She recalled an incident when she had to participate in a tournament in Chinese Taipei but a state tournament was planned much later, clashing with the dates. Therefore she wasn’t able to participate in both, harming her points which are used for ranking. Moreover, there is currently a lot of confusion as to the rules of participation in tournaments, especially in international tournaments. “For sure if there is more clarity in these things, there will be many more talented players coming up in wheelchair tennis tournaments,” Shilpa said.