Karman Kaur Thandi talks about her playing style, her future plans, her inspiration and long-term goals
Karman Kaur Thandi
Karman Kaur Thandi is an Indian tennis player and ASICS athlete. Karman Thandi reached a career high in July 2018, when she reached a world singles ranking of 225 and WTA doubles ranking 566. Karman Kaur Thandi has also represented India at the Fed Cup tournament. Here, she talks about her playing style, her future plans, her inspiration and long-term goals
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What was your reaction on winning $25,000 Hong Kong tournament and how would you assess your performance?
It was a great feeling to win my first ITF pro title $25000 Hong Kong. Through the championship I stayed very focused and always took one a match at a time. So, when I finally won the tournament it was an amazing achievement and I earned a better understanding of myself on court. After coming close to winning in the previous tournaments, I was finally able to overcome this challenge and winning that trophy felt really good.
Karman, how would you describe your style of play and how do you prepare yourself before a big match?
My game style is aggressive; Fighting for every point and never giving up. For me every match, big or small, is important, I don’t think about any game particularly as a ‘big’ match. I give my best, play on my terms, do the right things and keep my focus. I have taken inspiration from ASICS and not only believe but also live by their ideology, of ‘A Sound Mind in a Sound Body’. I believe that for the holistic development of an athlete, one must invest in achieving the best physical and mental strength to play their best game on the ground. I feel that ASICS is able to provide athletes with the right support for their journey; Whether it’s gear or support with training my mind or body, they have been integral.
Karman, at age 20 you have already won four ITF titles, so are you ready to move to the next level?
Absolutely, it has been a gradual process, but I am ready to take my game to the next level. These have been small steps, with the right kind of support, guidance, training and practice, that got me here and now. Through this, ASICS has also been an immense support while I worked to keep improving and believing in myself and my game. I recently played the WTA International $250,000 Jiangxi Open in China which was very exciting.
Which tennis stars do you draw inspiration from?
I really admire Maria Sharapova & Serena Williams. They have been idols for me since early on, in more ways than one.
Can we expect you to follow in the footsteps of Sania Mirza or is that unfair comparison?
What Sania has done for Indian women is very inspiring and of course many Indian woman tennis players aspires to reach those heights. It is too early, but if I’m able to make it to that level, I’d like to take it further and achieve my ultimate goal, which is to win a grand slam in singles.
What are your long-term goals? Is a Grand Slam on your target?
Definitely, a Grand Slam is upon the target. My year end goal for 2018 is to break into the world top 150 and look forward to the support from my coaches, trainers and brands such as ASICS to support me in my journey to achieving this.
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