Describing her turbulent Olympic debut in Paris as a period of heartbreak, Tanisha Crasto admitted she made the “mistake” of not taking a break afterwards, but said reuniting with Ashwini Ponnappa with a renewed approach led to their triumph at the Guwahati Masters. Tanisha and her seasoned partner Ashwini, who suffered three lopsided losses on the trot to exit the group stages in Paris, recovered to put in a dominant performance and defended their Guwahati Masters Super 100 title on Sunday.
“It was a difficult transition for everyone after the Olympics, including me and Didi (Ashwini). I made the mistake of not taking a break, and that left me emotionally exhausted. But Didi took a huge break, and when we got back together, we focused on enjoying the game,” the 21-year-old told PTI Videos.
“We decided not to think about the results, but to just go out and enjoy ourselves. And when we did, the results followed.” The Paris Olympics was a challenging chapter for Tanisha and all the other Indian shuttlers as India returned without a medal for the first time in twelve years.
“It hurts because you are there and you represent your country, and when things don't go your way it's hard to deal with… I didn't take a break after the Olympics because I thought it would help me to get out.” But as a person I was a mess and dealing with crazy emotions,” she said.
For her 35-year-old partner Ashwini, the Olympics also marked an emotional turning point, as she announced that the 2024 Olympics would be her last ever.
“We cried together during an interview, and even the interviewer was moved to tears,” Tanisha recalls.
“It was a mix of emotions, but it strengthened our bond,” she added.
Tanisha also finished in second place alongside her mixed doubles partner Dhruv Kapila against Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampra in a tough three-match battle at the Syed Modi International Super 300 event in Lucknow earlier this month.
“We had a very tough draw since the first match. It is something I am very proud of that Dhruv (Kapila), who was recovering from an ankle tear, went through to the final and defeated good pairs.” “They (Dechapol and Supissara) really overwhelmed us in the last two games. And they really changed the whole game.
“And because Dechapol is a very, very experienced player, he won a number of titles. I think he handled the pressure of the match well. And he controlled the match very well in the second and third.
“Could we have won? Yes, 100 percent. Did we do enough in the second and third games? No. But I'm proud of how we played overall, especially considering Dhruv's injury,” she said.
As 2024 draws to a close, Tanisha is already setting her sights on the challenges of 2025.
“Our first big target is the Malaysia Super 1000, and we are going all in for it… Ashwini and I are likely to be seeded, so it's an important start to the year.” The youngster shared her dream of doing well at major events such as the All England Championships, World Championships and the 2026 Asian Games.
“I think every tournament is something we really want to make something great out of… We're really looking forward to the All England, the World Championships and also the Asian Games in 2026. So these are the bigger goals from now on,” she signed off. PTI HN TAP
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