It is said that winning the National has given him confidence and he is now concentrating on building fitness.
When she plays tennis at her best, Nikki Poonacha looks top class. He can hit big serves and whip the forehand wherever he wants. At his fluent best, he is a delight to watch.
After being crowned national tennis champion for the second time on Saturday in Delhi, the 26-year-old resolved to take his form and confidence in the upcoming international circuit.
“I came for the national championship to win it. I am glad that I was able to overcome it. After winning the ITF title, the second COVID wave took away momentum and confidence. So, this win is important,” Said Punacha, who won the international title at the same venue in April.
“It hasn’t been that good for me recently at the ITF events in Tunisia. That’s why this title is important to me. The longer matches have given me the mental strength to move on more and believe that I can do it,” he said.
Poonacha, who competed in Tunisia for six weeks, went through the national championships with multiple aches and pains visited by physio Anand Dubey and received appropriate treatment.
aches and pains
“I’ve been playing with a lot of aches and pains during this week, taking pain relievers before matches. Physiotherapy, stretching, icing helped me a lot. I just have to play with the pain – mentally put it down Have to stop, and focus on the match. No pain, no gain,” he said.
Poonacha is quite confident about his game but feels the need to work on fitness to make the most of the upcoming three ITF tournaments in Indore, Delhi and Gurugram. “I am well prepared. In fact, playing the nationals was like preparing for international events. Winning the nationals has given me confidence and motivation. I am now focused on recovering and building my fitness,” said Punacha said.
Poonacha trains at Rohan Bopanna Academy in Sports School, Bangalore. “I am grateful to the entire team. The support is really amazing,” he said of the support from coaches M. Balachandran, Sujit Sachidanand, physio Dhruv Balaraman and Chelston Pintoi.
Above all, Poonacha regularly receives “suggestions and ideas on how to play and improve” from Bopanna.
.