"We really are looking forward to qualifying for the Olympics"- Tanisha Crasto on her chances for Paris 2024

Rising star of Indian doubles, Tanisha Crasto, has already won several international titles and gained a lot of experience at a very young age. The 20-year-old shuttler, who is supported by the Welspun Group, shifted bases from Dubai to Hyderabad a few years ago to get better training and opportunities. Currently ranked No. 32 in the women’s doubles category, Tanisha is eyeing a spot at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Tanisha opened up about her journey so far, the challenges she has faced, and her plans for the near future.

Q: How did you take up the sport?

Tanisha: I actually took up the sport because my dad is into a lot of sports. He used to play cricket earlier, but as and when the grounds disappeared in Dubai, he took up an indoor sport, which was badminton. I was very little, so I used to go with him every day, sit, and watch him play.

And I think that's how I gradually developed an interest in playing badminton. So, I think that's how you can say I started badminton. And most of my childhood, I was born and brought up in Dubai. So, I've spent almost 16–17 years before moving to India for badminton.

Q: What brought forth that change to shift to India?

Tanisha: I've always wanted to play for India, but since I stayed in Dubai when we went to apply for the association of which country I had to play for, Dubai didn't have an association then. And the clause was basically like, whatever country is closest to Dubai, it automatically switches to that country. So, it was Bahrain. But I think after I played a couple of tournaments, we had the option to change my country. And that's when I changed it to India.

Q: What challenges did you face during the transition, and how did you adapt to the change in lifestyle?

Tanisha: I mean, obviously, it's very, very difficult. I had a completely different lifestyle back then in Dubai. It is still very difficult to adjust to the climate, the people, or the food here. Everything is very, very different here. And I did face a lot of difficulties in adjusting to these factors here. But I think over time, it all happened. I have a good set of friends here, and I love the training here. So, it's very welcoming. And over time, I did adjust to it, and now I'm enjoying it.

Q: You currently play with Ashwini Ponnappa. Do you think your partnership with her has evolved since you first started playing together?

Tanisha: I think we've progressed quite a lot since January. We started playing in January (2023). And we've been doing pretty well. And we really are looking forward to qualifying for the Olympics because we're not actually that far. And we only have a set of points that we still need to acquire. But I think we have a fairly good chance to qualify for the Olympics. And I'm actually really looking forward to it.

Q: What lessons have you learned from Ashwini Ponnappa and how do you navigate the dynamics as a junior player paired with a senior player?

Tanisha: So, I think a lot of the people really ask me that she's such a senior player and you are a junior player; how does it actually work? But to be honest, I feel like there is no senior-junior relationship between us. It's very, very equal. And as much as I respect her decisions and her thoughts on court, she's also very welcoming about the fact that Tani (Tanisha) is a junior player. My opinions and my thoughts matter, too. And there have been a lot of times where I've taken charge, sometimes on court. And she has actually really respected decisions that way.

But since she's a senior player, she usually takes charge. And I like the way she thinks on court. She's very, very calm. And she's always got a smile. And she's very, very, very hardworking, too. So, I think I've learned a lot from her. And that had actually been my goal before starting the partnership—that since she's one of the legends in women’s doubles the world, my goal is to learn as much as I can from her when I'm playing with her. So, I think it's actually great that I'm playing with her because there are actually a lot of things that I am still learning from her.

Q: How has your experience been training with senior players like PV Sindhu and Chirag Shetty, and what valuable insights have you gained from them?

Tanisha: I think they're a great set of people to be with, especially Sindhu Didi. I've been with her in multiple, multiple tournaments, including last year. She's a great person. And she gives really, really good advice. I think what's best about her is that she's so hardworking and determined about what she wants to do. And she never gives up. And more than that, I think she's a very sweet person. And she's a really good friend of mine.

And Chirag, he's amazing. I have spent so much time with him. Obviously, he's very, very hardworking. And I really like the way he and his partner really gel on court. They never give up. I think that's what we've all learned from watching their matches. And he's a very, very fun person to be around with. So, I think both of them are really, really nice, as much as I've spent time with them. I think that's what I've realized—that they're very, very nice to be with. So yeah, I do have a good time when I'm with them.

Q: Reflecting on your recent victory at the Abu Dhabi Masters, what positive strides have you noticed in your performances, and how do you approach upcoming tournaments?

Tanisha: I think it was expected of us to win the Abu Dhabi tournament, seeing the draw. I mean, I think a lot of the coaches did tell us that it was expected of us to win. But a win is a win. And we're really happy to have a Super 100 title in our bag.

And I think if you compare the last few months regarding our performance, I think it's only been going upwards because we're learning in each and every match. Of course, our draws haven't been easy. But we've played some pretty good matches, including the match in the Asian Games. We played against the Chinese, and we almost had it.

But I think the way we played was exceptionally good. And we take a lot of positives from that match. And I think the coaches were also quite happy with the way we played. And I think since then, we've only been improving little by little. And I think it has been really, really good since a couple of months. And if you say from January, I think it has only been progress.

Regarding the next few tournaments, we see it as one tournament at a time, or more like one match at a time. We're not really taking the pressure on us. But just thinking about one match at a time and how well we want to perform in that one match. Because I feel like if we think too far ahead, then it's not really going to work out. So for now, our goal is to play one match at a time and focus on one point at a time. And then we'll see where it goes.

Q: What are your thoughts on the packed badminton calendar? Is that something that should be changed?

Tanisha: So, I wouldn't blame the tournaments. The problem actually hitting you right now is that, since this is an Olympic qualification year, each tournament is so important because each tournament has a lot of points. But had this been last year or the year before that, you wouldn't find all the players playing in all of these tournaments. They would have very selective tournaments, say maybe two tournaments or maybe one tournament, and then a training break and then another tournament.

But because this is an Olympic qualification year, it's more like giving an equal chance to everyone out there to play as many tournaments as possible to get points. So, I think this year and the time left until the Olympics are actually okay because there are a lot of chances where we can go and play so many more tournaments and get so many more points. So I feel like it is actually giving everyone an equal and fair chance to get a good number of points.

Q: How big do you think the gap is between the Indian women's doubles players and the rest of the world?

Tanisha: I think that we are progressing. I think the only difference between us and the players outside is that they're more consistent with their performance and also with the way that they play. I feel like they can hold on to more longer rallies. More than anything, I feel like they have a great level of patience and calmness, which I wouldn't say we lack, but I feel like they do it better. So, I think if there is anything that we need to improve on, it is in this aspect where we require a lot of patience and a lot of calmness in our game, and I feel like if we had this, I think our game would go to another level.

Q: Indian badminton has grown exponentially over the years; what is something that can be improved in the Indian badminton ecosystem to take it even further?

Tanisha: I feel like lately, since the past two years, we have been receiving a good amount of support from the government, but I feel like they need to still support a lot more athletes to go out and perform well because there is so much scope in India, but I feel like players just lack opportunities, maybe due to lack of funding or lack of support in any manner.

I'm not saying that they're not supporting, but I feel like if they start supporting more number of athletes to go out there and perform, I think a lot of athletes will do so much, so much better, and obviously more chances of India winning medals in so many more events. So, it is happening; it is gradually happening, but it's like it's happening slowly, but the fact that it is still happening is a good thing. So, I feel like they should support more and more athletes over the coming years.

Q: How has the support from the Welspun group been instrumental in your journey, and what role have they played in your success?

Tanisha: So, I've been associated with Welspun when probably when I just shifted to India, maybe a year later. So, they've been there with me since I actually started playing in India, when I had nothing. So, they had been like my backbone, and Wellespoon was very, very easy to work with.

They really helped me funding wise when I actually had nothing. They helped me go to a lot of tournaments where I actually went and won medals, and it was really, really nice. I think had it not been for their support, it would have been very difficult for me to actually go on and participate in tournaments.

I think after those tournaments, then we started slowly getting in a couple of sponsors and scholarships. But I think had they not been there, it would have been very, very difficult for me to actually be in the place that I am today. So they've supported me in every, every manner. I think they've helped me exceptionally, funding-wise. So I am actually very, very grateful to them for being a part of my journey. Their support has been a tremendous help.