"Things changed after we won the Commonwealth Games" - Interview with Ashwini Ponnappa

Were there any individuals you drew inspiration from, any role-models?

Not really. As kids, we were just asked to sit and watch others and learn from them but I didn’t really enjoy that. Until the under-16 category I did not have any big dream and ambition; my goals were big, such as winning the state championships and getting onto the state team and winning the nationals.

I did not have any role models as such, but as I got older, I started enjoying watching other players play, as I could picture myself playing strokes that I liked and tried to implement that to my game. So ever since, I love watching others play and feel that I can learn from everyone.

Tell us something about your experience in the CWG.

When we went there, I didn’t really have a name, so it was taking a step at a time. The first match that we had was against the Malaysians who were really tough to beat.

We, Jwala and I, didn’t think about anything else. We just focussed on the match point-by-point. And that’s exactly how we tackled every match in the tournament. I didn’t even realize that we had won. I just thought that the crowd really roared because we were leading and had earned another point.

Gold medallists Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta at 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi

It was only when Jwala told me that we won, did I realize that whoa, we had won! And that’s what I have been following ever since.

We kept setting small targets, and that really helped us achieve our aim. After we won, I thought it was like winning any other tournament. I was like, yay, we won, let’s go home and celebrate. But it was only the next day did I realize that it wasn’t like winning any other tournament.

We had won the Commonwealth Games, in our country, in front of the home crowd. Things changed after that.

Was there any instance when Jwala’s and your ideas clashed?

Not quite, Mehul. Had that happened, I don’t think we could have won. Both of us were on the same page, and both of us were gunning to do well.

We knew that the 1st round was a tough one, and we weren’t too sure whom we’d be playing in the next round. What mattered was getting through the 1st round and that’s what we did.

We both were really determined to win. The environment of the entire tournament was also good. We enjoyed on the court as well as off it.

Off the court, we were relaxing and interacting with other players and enjoying ourselves, but on-court, we were totally focused, and we knew what we wanted to do.