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India’s Northeast is often identified as a hotbed of sporting talent, and rightly so. Many sports have seen the emergence of athletes from the hill region, including boxing, weightlifting, football…and tennis.
No, it’s not right! Apart from making it big on the Somdev Debavarman Court, there was not a steady supply of racket drivers on the tennis courts in these areas. However, Jennifer Lewisham, a 23-year-old Tangkhul Naga girl from Ukhrul – Manipur’s highest hill station, where the Shirui lily blooms – wants to start the trend.
“Tennis is an expensive game and you don’t get quick results in it. It’s quite a challenge for one to invest in it for a long time. Maybe that’s why many people (from the North East) come and don’t play for long,” he told The Bridge.
Already ranked the 9th best female tennis player from India, Jennifer said she was luckier than most sports enthusiasts from Ukhrul, a remote, mountainous region, as her parents moved with her to Gurgaon when she was just five years old.
“Being from the North-East, I was blessed with a lot of natural strength and physical ability. I got a lot of recognition for my fitness playing as a junior in the Delhi tennis circuit. People appreciated it,” said Jennifer.
But that was the good side of being an ‘outsider’. There was also a downside, which led him to return to his roots and play tennis for Manipur.
“Initially, I used to play for Haryana. As I grew up, I didn’t get any support from the state because, well, I’m not originally from Haryana. That’s when I switched to playing for Manipur, because there was no game there. Recognition for the Manipur community,” he said
Outsider syndrome
Even after 50 years of Manipur’s statehood within India, the region remains distant from mainstream India in many ways. Tennis is definitely one aspect where the flag of the region is conspicuously absent.
And that’s how the Pro Tennis League (PTL) gives Jennifer, who will be part of the DMG Delhi Crusaders in the upcoming edition, and others like her a unique platform.
“I really want to do well for the team and for myself so that I am recognized not just as an Indian player, but as a player from the Northeast, as a tennis player representing Manipur,” Jennifer said of the league.
Jennifer in tribal dress in her village Ukhrul, Manipur
“PTL is a great platform for players like us to get such opportunities. They are promoting tennis in the country through Indian players instead of bringing in international players and promoting tennis through them,” he explained the difference between PTL. and a league like the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).
far ahead
Although it’s rare to be part of a group in a sport like tennis, Jennifer is looking forward to playing with the great players the PTL lineup has to offer and having a fun experience. But, he’s looking for something more from the event, at least on a personal level.
“I would like to attract some attention towards some sponsorship, if possible (from PTL participation). I need financial support to pursue and reach greater heights. This is another thing I hope to get from PTL, if not a lot. More,” he said.
Currently ranked 729th in the WTA Women’s Singles World Ranking, Jennifer won the first UTR Pro Tennis Tour event in India last week. “It was pretty eventful,” he said of his PTT experience.
“Coming into it, I had no idea about the scoring system, round-robin or anything else. In European countries, I would see my friends participating in these PTT events and I would envy them. I always wished. To participate in one of these to support, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it,” added Lewisham.
Jennifer wants to go further in her career. People tend to express what they want to achieve and do their best to bring it into existence, but he chooses not to be that bandwagon.
“Earlier I used to announce the rank I wanted to achieve or the marks I wanted to achieve, but then I thought that doing so would take me further away from achieving it. I decided not to say my goals publicly,” Jennifer said with a smile. finished .
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