Ace on the sidelines

Her father, Baldev Singh, is her coach. 8220;One has to start at a young age to be a tennis player. And if one wants to compete at the national and international level, training has to start real early,8221; the proud father says.

Neha was ranked number 5 in India in the under-14 category and number 10 in the under-16 category. At the All India Inter-University Competition she won a silver and two bronze. At the age of 14, Neha won the under-19 title. She won another silver medal at the National Women8217;s Festival organised by the Sports Authority of India.

But even after playing for over 15 years, Neha does not feel secure with her sporting talent. 8220;In India you cannot go too far with sports and it8217;s important to have a career independent of your game. Parents can support you only to a certain extent; after that, one has to fall back on their educational qualification. With the support of sponsors, one can think of taking up easier subjects in college in order to concentrate on the game but this wasn8217;t possible in my case,8221; said Neha.

Currently, Neha8217;s sister Mehak is following in her sibling8217;s footsteps and creating waves in the tennis world. But Baldev hopes for more support. 8220;Having spent around Rs 8 to 10 lakh for training each of my daughters, I wish that sports are encouraged more vigorously in the country so that more and more youngsters are able to realise their dreams,8221; he says.