She is a self-made winner. Tennis player Nirupama Vaidyanathan, who now runs a tennis academy in the US, early on in her career had only her father as a pillar of support. She held a dream in her heart to be the best in the country. But this sprightly lass on the court had neither financial aid nor sponsorships, except for some help from friends and family, with which she went on to win the Australian Open. Now her recently launched book, The Moon Baller, aims to provide young tennis players tips on success, if they are bound for Wimbledon.
Nirupama Vaidyanathan was the youngest girl to win a national title at the age of 14. Between the ages of 14 and 24, she was ranked number 1 in the country. Growing up in Coimbatore, her father, a former Ranji Trophy cricket player, was her role model and coach, urging her to make it to the top. “My father was always supportive of my efforts,” she recalls. “Any mistake on the court was dealt with by a conversation over a juice to find out where I went wrong. Cosmopolitan Club was where I truly did begin training, some of the best in the country worked their way up from Cosmopolitan’s turf,” says Nirupama, whose brother is also a tennis player and she even has cousins who have accomplished a great deal in the sport. “So I was never short of competition, and while many of them looked for weaknesses as I was younger, I eventually ended up learning a lot more which really helped me in my professional career,” she points out. She was fortunate that her family was so devoted to the sport.
She returns to a memorable moment. “There was a time in 1994, when I had to go to Tokyo to participate in a tournament. I had no sponsors to assist me in my career, but I did have many who contributed towards my development. For this particular tournament though, I had to make it on my own and the only way I could do so was to win a series of matches in Chennai where the winner would take home a cash prize of `50,000. I won it and made my way to Japan,” she recounts.
Nirupama then moved to Europe at the age of 17 to train and participate professionally, which was a major stepping stone in her career, she says. The stint, which involved travelling across Europe to raise her ranking in the world, gave her a perspective on the competition and taught her how to be independent. Three years later, she moved to the US where, after barely a few months of training in 1998, she went on to become the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam title in the Australian Open.
Nirupama, who is today a renowned tennis commentator, was a mother when she competed at the 2010 Asian and Commonwealth Games. All her career highs are recorded in her book. “I was always interested in writing, but it wasn’t until three years ago that I decided to take it up seriously. I realised that every child hopes to compete for a Grand Slam title and thought that my journey would serve to motivate them on their path to success.”
There was the time when Sania Mirza approached her for a doubles game at the Commonwealth Games in 2012, but she could not make it to the tournament due to personal commitments. However, she had participated in the Commonwealth and Asian Games in 2010 where she missed winning by a few points.
Her next book is already in her head. “It will be called Parenting a Wimbledon Champion. I want parents to know and understand their child, how to support them and most importantly, nurture a Grand Slam champion,” she says.