Pawar and Peace

The hard-fought win against Yun Hu – a 51-minute affair – though is what will warm his heart for a long time to come. “It was easily the best win of my career,” he said,before trekking off Mumbai last month in preparation of a string of overseas tournaments – the Sudirman,where he wasn’t called into action and now the South East Asian swing of meets – Thailand,Indonesia and Singapore.

For the longest,Pawar was the talented lad who would fritter away chances,and be grappling with one niggle or another,never quite making good his potential. A fluid player to watch on court,there were far too many finishing bumbles pushing his scorelines into a tournament’s oblivion. “I have been playing a lot of Top 10 players,and stretching it to 17-all,18-all,19-all in close games,but never quite crossing over. It was heart-breaking over and over again. But with the Yu win,I went past that mental barrier,” he said.

“It gave me the confidence,and I realise I’m playing more freer than ever,” he added. The 21-13,21-9 drubbing at the hands of Lee Chong Wei last September and the peculiar despair he sniffed in the Japanese air that wretched day seems like a lifetime away.

Having seen far too many false dawns in his life,far too much of getting hopes up only to stumble at the next step,Pawar wasn’t really announcing grand things yet. “I ran into form,but need to keep plugging on,” he says,realistic about the pitfalls ahead. “I hope to make quarterfinals of Grand Prixes and GP Golds,beat higher ranked players and try being consistent.” There was a time in the not so distant past when he jumped at every upward curve in ranking and set himself far too ambitious targets for the year-end. He’s wiser these days. “I’ve always set ranking targets,but things never work to plan,do they. The bottomline is to play well at big tournaments,” he stated.

Injuries have shadowed him for life,though the realisation dawned like a happy sun one day when he told himself that never mind an uncertain fitness base,he could prevent the niggles,keep them at bay. “I realised I could prevent them. I need to reduce the number of tournaments and give myself time after each tourney to get back into shape. Now I’m focussing harder on fitness and on getting my strength back,” he said.

What’s also helped is that the Mumbai lad finally decided on coming home from Denmark where he would usually set up base. “I quit the Denmark club I was playing for 6 years,and returned last month. I got what I could from playing in Denmark,but living’s not easy,and it’s not ideal emotionally,” he said.

“The last few results were because dad (Uday Pawar,also his coach) has believed in me. I hadn’t been in Mumbai for long,” he sighed again. Back here,the plan is to not panic,and plan carefully. “I’ll keep an eye on number of tournaments,and work on specific areas and minute details of technique. My offensive game needs to be sharp in tight situations,gwet better at hitting lines and play the right shots at right time. All sounds great on paper,but the execution takes time,” he smiled.

Yet,Goregaon Sports Club,with his father overseeing him,seems like a good place to restart. “I made the right decision to come back. In Denmark,they’d accepted me as one of their own from Day 1,I had a good record in the club league and a good reputation of team commitment. It was like my second family. But there’s no place better than home. Going months and months at a time without friends,family and food was tough. Now,I don’t have to worry about small things like washing clothes and cooking the next meal. I’m at peace,” he ended.

India’s men’s singles players – battling through minefields of draws – all look upto P Kashyap – currently ranked No 10 for inspiration. “It’s been years since any Indian broke into Top 10. Kashyap’s proven that if you get the ingredients right,anyone can get into contention,” he says. Personally,he’s prepared to climb the ladders,and ease the serpentine falls as and when they come. “This is the phase when I can handle the rough with the smooth. I know what to do when,and have the natural flow and rhythm. I need to make the most of my opportunities.”