Rushmi Chakravarthi thread...

[jayakris]

Jay, is Kyra injured? Isn't playing this week. She is in top 600 both in singles and doubles. Rushmi is our 2nd highest ranked doubles player and Kyra our 2nd highest in singles. Rushmi is much more experienced but if she is really fit, why has she been so irregular? I don't think she will continue her tennis career after Oly. Likely to focus more on the academy.

Poojashree and Kyra were the two that I had thought 3 years back to be the ones right about now. If they had done even a tad bit more in playing consistently and showing that they were serious enough to make a run in their careers, I would be the first to say they should go to Olympics. Sadly, both have just kept on dashing my hopes for years for one reason or another. For Pooja, to me, it looked like a lack of some proper fire in the belly, and for Kyra, it seemed more of an injury issue (may be, I don't know).

There was an Olympics spot begging to be taken, to play with Sania, and not one girl has shown even a minimal spark, to make us go "damn, let's send that girl in". So it is Rushmi, as a "thank you" for the dogged determination she has shown towards her career all along till recently when she is at least 5 years past the time when everybody thought she would be retiring. Go Rushmi, is all I can say now. The blame is all on the younger girls to not have come through by now. What else can I say?

Jay

[rajorshi]

I am just curious when Rushmi came in the picture. We thought its gonna be Isha or Rutuja. Then Kyra started impressing. Rushmi didn't even get selected for the Fed Cup. But not taking anything away from her. Her CWG exploits speak for herself.

[jayakris]

Yeah, but Isha had to do something... Like, play somewhere. Or Rutuja had to do something. Like play juniors and win enough. Neither happened with sufficient results for us to feel confident that they actually WANTED to take up the challenge, to play alongside a top-10 doubles player on tour. In Rutuja's case, I give her some benefit of doubt, because she is way too young and others tell her what to do. In Isha's case, well, she is just not up to snuff now to do this, I have to surmise - or she would have shown otherwise to us. As for Kyra, I suppose she continues to be injured on and off. So we are left with the old warrior who we know will do whetever it takes to get there and play to her best ability at her age. Rushmi has always demonstrated that. That is to be doggedly detemined to stay in shape and play as much as she can. The younger players needed to have learned that kind of determination from none other than Rushmi, and should have made her not even a consideration in this. But they didn't. So... Go Rushmi!

Jay

[vk2052]

A lady who was not even considered for fed cup gets selected for olympics- great going, in deed. What ever you say, Rushmi is past. You dont give olympic selection to some one as " a reward ". They could have given her Arjuna award or cash 5 lacs- i would have been happier. I am sure she is not going to play after olympics. But younger players, like rituja, kyra or poojashree, would have gained invaluable experience and more than that they would have felt " wanted " BY the country and association. Any way no point in arguing now. All the best to Rushmi.

[jayakris]

Why do you keep saying this "not fed cup, so no olympics" line? There is no logical reasoning there. Yes, you can be not in the Fed Cup and be at Olympics in doubles. Fed cup is a much smaller thing, and a different thing. It is a yearly thing and girls need to play and get experienced, to play the next year's fed Cup. If Olympics is to be used as experience for anybody, then it should at least be somebody who shows some promise to be around and near the Indian top for the next olympics. Even that is questionable in the case of 2 of the 3 you list. The third (Rutuja) is just too young and too unproven to say much about.

Rushmi is a better player than them all, right now - at the Olympics, in doubles. I still wouldn't pick her for Fed Cup, because that is also a training ground for next year and the year after, for the lesser girls (yes, I said it, since you forced it out of me, by continuing to say that it is all to give Rushmi some reward). Rushmi is a better doubles player than all these girls, right now. PERIOD. Nothing to do with whether she is in the fed Cup or not. An it is not all just a "reward" for her.

As for being "wanted by AITA and the country", I just don't buy that that is what holds the girls back. That's another discussion.

Jay

[arjun2761]

As for being "wanted by AITA and the country", I just don't buy that that is what holds the girls back. That's another discussion.

Agree but it is an important discussion. Right from the time of Harsh Manked to now in case of Karan, the arguments seem to be repeated that players are being held back because of not being selected for Davis Cup (or not playing the inconsequential 5th match etc.) or some other international team competition. While an argument like this may hold water in mostly amateur sports like badminton, tennis is a fully developed professional sport in which you really prove yourself on the tour (starting from the lowest levels and working up) and failure to represent your country is a minuscule reason for anyone failing to progress.

Perhaps, lack of money is a big reason but most often it is a lack of focused hard work or talent or a combination that is at issue. Unless the argument is that the money for representing the country is critical to the development of a player, the selection (or non-selection) for national duty has very little to do with professional success. In fact, you could argue that the Indian players who play Davis Cup often perform poorly for several weeks on the tour after their participation and in fact the participation may hinder their progress on the professional tour.

[Atithee]

Arjun, you speaketh logic. But, sometimes it doesn't work.