Fit-again Ratnika keen to grab attention

Coming into prominence with the 2008 women’s national title,Ratnika,who has represented India in junior Fed Cup events,went on to be named in the probables for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

However,an injury in April put her out of competition for months,forcing her to drop out from the CWG camps and take a break,and it is only recently that she resumed training. Ratnika trains at the Rohini Sports Complex in the Capital under coach Sudeep Mohanty,and is currently playing in an ITF Grade IV Junior Circuit event at the National Tennis Academy,Gurgaon.

In the first round,she had an encouraging 6-4 6-2 victory over second seed Rishika Sunkara,and on Wednesday,she defeated Nidhi Chulmila 6-2 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals. As she slowly sets about returning to the tournament mode,this being her first competitive outing in months,Ratnika hopes to go even further.

“I started training just 3-4 weeks go,and I just want to play now. I got injured,then I got fever,there was a lot I had to deal with and now I hope to do well in this tournament,” she says. Ratnika adds that the reason for her injury could have been a poorly planned training regime,which highlights the need for more professionally accredited physical trainers in the country.

“I probably trained too hard,my body couldn’t handle the strain. I had gone to the Nick Bolletieri Tennis Academy earlier this year with the CWG probables and that was a great experience. They emphasised the importance of fitness and building strength to keep pace with the nature of today’s game,and I hope to continue with what they taught.”