Joshna Chinappa: ‘Everyone has access to squash today’

These days, whenever squash champion Joshna Chinappa receives a call or email, it is often an invitation to join a new tournament. “Now, you are spoiled for choice,” says the Chennai-based player, “every country in the world wants to organize a tournament.”

She’s not complaining: The last two years of the pandemic have robbed her of precious match time. “Now, every athlete wants to play every tournament. The competition is really high. From the first round, it’s brutal. ,

Which is why the 35-year-old, who returned to the top-10 world rankings earlier this year, is choosing her tournaments carefully. After launching the new light-show collection of sports performance brand ASICS in Chennai, she admits, “I don’t want to get into the rat race.”

With the Commonwealth and Asian Games slated to take place in the next few months, Joshna is witnessing perhaps the most important year of her sporting career. “With squash not being in the Olympics, this is our biggest platform to showcase our talent. You have the best countries playing these tournaments. My big dream was to play him and I am looking forward to playing him.”

what lies ahead

This is the complete opposite of her life in the last few years. “After a few months, I kept asking myself: What am I really training for? I didn’t know how much to push myself,” she admits. Since she couldn’t play during much of the lockdown, The squash champion made the most of her unexpected down time by eating the latest K-drama offerings. “It took my mind off real life,” she smiles, adding that was her favorite crash landing on youA popular romantic comedy.

Today, she not only feels refreshed physically — having worked with new coach Chris Walker a few weeks ago — but also in a good place mentally. Joshna says she has been working with a sports psychologist to stay focused, which has been especially helpful since the advent of the bio-bubble.

“In most other sports, you have your teammates, the manager and the coach with you. But in squash, if you’re in the bio bubble it’s really you. I have been working with a sports psychologist for over a decade with whom I can converse, especially when the results are not going to suit me. When I lose against players below me, I start questioning myself, and that’s when the team around me, including the psychologist, helps me gain confidence going forward. ,

Joshna Chinappa | photo credit: Ragu R

American Dream

A huge fan of athlete PT Usha, Joshna became involved in squash at the age of just seven, as her parents had access to facilities at the Madras Cricket Club. “Today, thanks to academies and public courts, everyone has access to squash. It gives youth not only the opportunity to excel in the sport, but also the opportunity to study in America, which is the college of squash. There is a great center. If you are good at sports and reach a decent level of proficiency, it gives many students a chance to go to prestigious colleges like Princeton, Harvard and Yale.” Joshna also has similar opportunities When she was younger, she decided to stay here. “I declined it, because my dream was to play for India,” she says.

She has some of the biggest events on her sporting calendar this year – the World Doubles Championships in Glasgow (where she will team up with Dipika Pallikal), the Commonwealth in Birmingham and the Asian Games in Hangzhou (China) – but Joshna keeps telling herself one thing: Enjoy the game.

“I started playing squash because it brought me joy. But after turning professional, winning and prize money came into the picture. When that happens, you suddenly don’t enjoy it that much, especially when you start losing. It’s important to keep going back to why you started in the first place… and have fun with it. In your short time as an athlete, it’s really important to enjoy all the moments that come with it .