|
|
 #4:
When Vanessa met Saurav
not for the first time, obviously, but this time in India
You just recently won your
national championships for the 7th time? That's an amazing
achievement. Is the nationals a big deal over here? Does it get
a lot of media attention?
 Yeah,
it's a really prestigious tournament for us and it's the only
one that I always make sure I play. A lot of people that you
don't see much over the year come out for the nationals to watch
and see what Indian squash is all about.
The media attention depends a bit on where it's held. So the big
cities like Delhi, Bombay, Chennai tend to get more media
attention.
This week obviously your focus is on the Punj Lloyd Masters.
How do you find it playing a big PSA tournament this at home in
front of a home crowd? Do you get more nervous or do you prefer
it?
I absolutely love it! Yeah there is pressure but it's a
privilege and I love it that people come out and support me and
shout for me. Everything is really comfortable and convenient
playing here and you always want to do well. So yeah I love
playing here and hopefully there will be many more tournaments
here in the future.
You've had a good tournament so far, coming through a tough
first round against Julian Illingworth. Are you happy with how
you're playing at the moment?
 Yeah,
I feel like I'm hitting the ball really well at the moment. To
come off 3 love against some one like him is a really good
result for me.
Today's match will be tough. Peter Barker is a really solid
player, he's had a great season which shows in his number 7
ranking. He will be hard to break down but hopefully I can play
well and makes some inroads into his game.
You live in Leeds and train in Pontefract with Malcolm
Willstrop. How much of an effect has that had on your game?
I think I said after my win against Tarek Momen in Kuwait that
everything I am as professional player today, leaving my junior
days aside, is because of Malcolm. Training with people like Lee
Beachill and James Willstrop on a daily basis and seeing what it
takes to be a top player has been invaluable.
 Malcolm
has a unique way of training at Pontefract, we train with all
different standards of players and mix in together. But the most
important thing is that the sessions are always really
enjoyable.
Do you think up and coming players in India need to move
abroad if they want to make it to the top level?
At the moment I don't think we have enough top level coaches in
India to be able to produce top players. We have some good
juniors but the professional level is a different ball game all
together.
So yeah it's a difficult decision to make when you're 17 or 18
to leave your home and go and live alone in a foreign country
but you need to go out and see what other people are doing if
you want to make it to the top.
Also I think the weather is a big factor. Growing up in India,
most of the clubs don't have any air-conditioning and as a
result the ball is always really bouncy so we can just flick it
around. Whereas on the glass court for example you can't do
that.
 When
the juniors go over to England for the British Junior Open they
can't understand why the ball doesn't come back and they really
fall short.
If you go over to Europe it teaches you to hit through the ball
more on colder courts and you need to do that on a continuous
basis if you want to learn.
What are your future plans? I know you were considering going
back to studying at one point? Are you going to stick with
squash for the foreseeable future?
Right now the studying has taken a bit of a back seat. I'm
enjoying my squash at the moment which is important because if
I'm not enjoying something I'm not going to be very successful
at it.
 As
far as future plans are concerned, myself and Siddarth Suchde,
the Indian number 2, are looking at starting an e-commerce
venture.
It's in its gestation period at the moment so we're working
towards that right now. It's an sports e-commerce venture and
when it does come out I think it could be really good. It will
be focussed towards India to start with because it's a massive
undertaking but eventually we hope to take it to the world.
It's an interesting chapter to run parallel with squash which
both of us are really looking forward to and are quite excited
about. We are still learning and with the bureaucratic nature of
things in India, even just getting registered is really
difficult and there's so many details to take care of. But it's
been a good ride and we're both enjoying it so as of now that's
the plan outside of squash.
|
 |
|
Indian Press
15th
December 2011 |
|
|
Vanessa Atkinson in Delhi - #3: |
|
|
Snowed under and
under the weather in Delhi ...
 What
a couple of days it's been. I have to say, I have a new found
respect for Steve and Fram.
Due to Malcolm's 'visa issues' (there is a long and funny story
to this that I don't have the time or space for), I was laden
with the full responsibility for the match reports until his
arrival. So eight matches on Monday to report on, alongside my
mc duties.
To be honest, I didn't mind watching all the matches at all, I
most likely would have done anyway. But the taking of notes,
writing reports, getting the post-match comments, and preparing
my introductions was tasking to say the least. To think that at
some tournaments, Steve and Fram are covering 32, sometimes
more, matches in a day is mind boggling.
To make things worse, I'm not well. Not Delhi-belly just a good
old fashioned cold; my coughing fits have been causing some
alarm amongst the organisers and volunteers at the stadium.
Yesterday I was given cough drops, cough syrup, and some
hardcore cold medicine by three different people, which I took
all at once only noticing the 'may cause drowsiness' label as I
was glugging the cough syrup from the bottle. I apologise to
anyone who noticed any slurring during the player intros!
Anyway, enough of my woes, the first two days are behind us,
Malcolm has arrived and we're onto the first half of the last 16
tonight.
The past couple of days have seen a few entertaining matches,
Mueller's effort against Willstrop stands out I have to say, no
bias intended. Mueller is an incredible talent and at times Ramy
Ashour-like in his ability to put the ball away. He had
Willstrop under the cosh for much of the first and portions of
the second game, forcing the number three seed to dig deep to
stave off the challenge.
Unfortunately, the gross of the matches over the first two days
were relatively comfortable straight game affairs. Even the
couple of minor upsets by Richards and Golan didn't extend
beyond three games. However, this could certainly change from
today onwards with some potential thrillers on the cards. The
Anjema/Mosaad match is the pick of the bunch for me with the in
form Golan against El Shorbagy a close second.
 |
|
Vanessa Atkinson in Delhi - #2: |
Preparations almost over ...
Preparations
are well underway here at the Siri Fort complex for the
onslaught of matches starting at 12pm. Due to the cancellation
of the main guest, the opening ceremony will now be a somewhat
simpler affair with the entertainment shifted to the closing
ceremony on Sunday.
I get the feeling that things are never really fixed here in
India, plans are made loosely and then amended where necessary,
which suits me down to the ground; flexibility is key.
Either way the main attraction, the matches of course, will
proceed according to schedule and the players are getting
themselves ready and acclimatising to the conditions as we
speak.
Notable match for the spectators will be national player
Siddarthe Suchde who will be taking on the mighty Gregory
Gaultier. Siddarthe just competed in the Indian National
Championships in Chennai, losing surprisingly to Harinder Pal
Singh Sandhu in the semi-finals. He will be disappointed
with that result I'm sure and all the more determined to put up
a good show against Gregory tomorrow. Playing on home soil can
be a real challenge and the added pressure can easily overwhelm.
Saurav Ghosal, the newly crowned national champion here
in India will know that feeling all too well having competed in
front of his home crowd on numerous big occasions. As the first
round draw is split, he will start his campaign on Tuesday
against the sole American player in the draw, Julian
Illingworth.
On a side note, I picked up the biography of former Indian prime
minister, Indira Gandhi, at the hotel bookshop yesterday
and have already devoured the first few chapters. 'Mother
India', as she was affectionately known, was brutally
assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984 after almost four
decades at the helm of one of the most powerful and populated
third world countries.
So far, her history which is intertwined with the country's own
turbulent history, is making for a fascinating read and much of
her political life was played out in this very city. Better than
reading the Delhi 'lonely planet' guide book anyway.
#1: Vanessa's first time
in India
After
a long and frankly arduous flight (the woman next to me seemed
to think that half of my seat belonged to her), I have finally
made it to Delhi.
During my 16 years on the tour I somehow never made it to India
and have always wanted to experience a little of this country I
have read and heard so much about.
I am hugely excited at the prospect of tasting the local food,
which as Saurav Ghosal never fails to point out, is rather
different to the standard kormas and chicken tikka masalas we
gorge ourselves on every Saturday night in Britain.
My first impression on walking outside is that it is much cooler
than I expected, in my imagination India is always hot and humid
but to my surprise and delight the weather is very mild this
time of year. It is also much less crowded than I expected;
beyond the hustle and bustle of the airport we drive along wide
roads which are often flanked by high walls.
I expect a look behind these walls might reveal another side to
the country than I have seen so far.
The tournament accommodation is the luxurious five star Oberoi
Hotel which is enclosed within beautiful grounds. With spacious
rooms, three restaurants, a gym and spa and outdoor pool area, I
don't think the players will have much to complain about here.
From here it's only a short car ride to the squash complex, the Siri Fort stadium, which was the venue for the 2010 Commonwealth
Games. The stadium has eight glass back courts and a permanent
all-glass court on which all the matches will be played.
Organiser Kandarp Chandra seems to have everything in order and
an opening ceremony, including a 'sand artist' and live music,
will precede the onset of matches on Monday.
Unlike previous years, in which tickets were for sale, the entry
will be free of charge for the duration of the tournament, so
hopefully we can expect a full house towards the end of the
week.
|
www.deccanherald.com
|
|
