‘I didn’t expect to be interviewed’ was 19 year old Bhicky Sagolshem’s first remark when we started our conversation. Bhicky, hailing from Manipur, may not have grabbed headlines during the Fenesta Nationals week, but he did show sparks of promise with his results. In the final qualifying round, he beat 17 year old Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar, who ended up winning the title after receiving a Lucky Loser (LL) spot in the final. Bhicky had won 6-4 6-0 against him.

Bhicky also beat former Fenesta Nationals finalist Suraj Prabodh in straight sets, and also won a set against top seed and Olympian Vishnu Vardhan.

Speaking about Bhicky’s game, Asian Games medalist Vishnu Vardhan said –

“Bhicky played a very good match. He’s like a young, raw Somdev Devvarman. He’s very consistent from the back. Solid playing and mentally also pretty stable. It was just the experience I had that helped me. Bhicky also had to play three qualifying matches. So he couldn’t really sustain in the third set. He has good technique and has very good fitness. He could be really good if he has a good training base”

We spoke to Bhicky to learn more about his tennis journey so far. Excerpts below:

Q) Where were you born and brought up?

Bhicky – I was born born and brought up in Imphal.

Q) Where and when did you start playing Tennis?

Bhicky – It was my Dad. He used to go in the early mornings to play Tennis. I used to get so curious about what is Tennis and how it is played. I wanted to play it so badly at the time. But my Dad refused and said I was too young. I was 5-6 years old at the time. Back then, it was nothing serious and all I wanted to do was to have fun. That’s all!

Q) When did you start competing in tournaments and realise that you’re actually good at the sport?

Bhicky – I started off playing local tournaments in 2013 when I was 8. I started playing All Indian Tennis Association (AITA) tournaments in 2017. My first (AITA) tournament was in Guwahati, Assam. At the time, I didn’t perform very well. I lost in the semi-final to a guy from Guwahati.

Q) Where do you train and what’s your training schedule like?

Bhicky – I train in Imphal only. In the morning, I go to the gym from 8AM to 9.30AM. I practice Tennis and do fitness from 3PM to 7PM.

I don’t have a fitness trainer but I have a coach here whose name is Brojen Toijam.

Q) You played just two ITF Junior events. Why so?

Bhicky – I didn’t think of it that much because I was not very good four or five years back. Also, my Dad refused saying I was not good enough to compete in ITF’s. My national under 18 ranking was around 50, so I did not expect to get into ITF tournaments. But I will start playing ITF Futures next year, I will plan something.

Q) Thoughts on your match against Rethin Pranav? He ended up winning the title. How do you feel? What was the score?

Bhicky – It was 6-4 6-0. I was confident that I would win because I know how he plays and how his style was. The first set was a bit tight. We were holding serves until 4-4. His mental side is very tough, so I wanted to break his mental side first. I was just running where the ball goes and giving the balls back deep, deep, deep and then attack at the right moment. And that’s how I won the match.

Q) You had good wins over Rohan Mehra and Suraj Prabodh. And a tight match against top seed Vishnu Vardhan. Your thoughts on those matches?

Bhicky – I expected to qualify for the tournament. But I did not expect to win a set against Vishnu Vardhan (laughs).

For Rohan, I genuinely didn’t know who he was. It was my first time meeting him. I was a bit confident I would win it as during the warmup sessions during the tournament, I watched him playing a bit. I got to know his weaknesses.

For Suraj, I did not expect to win an easy match. Since he was a past Fenesta Nationals finalist.

Q) There are 3-4 players coming up from Manipur – you, Shanker Heisnam, Bushan Haobam, and of course Jennifer Luikham. How’s the camaraderie between you all?

Bhicky – We four are very good friends. Me and Bushan started playing Tennis around the same time, one or two years apart. Shanker also, he’s a good friend of mine. But I got to know Jennifer only this year.

I am just proud of us, we are competing in the nationals and internationals. We are hoping to play at even higher levels moving forward.

Q) You haven’t competed in ITF Futures yet. What’s your plan moving forward?

Bhicky – I haven’t planned much yet. But I will plan to play some Futures outside India, maybe in Africa. Because I won’t get entry into Futures in India.

Q) There are three Futures in India next month

Bhicky – Oh okay, I will try.

Q) How are you on the financial side? Tennis is an expensive sport. Do you have sponsors or receive any support from any NGO’s or federations?

Bhicky – As of now, all my expenses are covered by my Dad. I don’t have any sponsors. Not even a racquet sponsor. I use Yonex racquets but I pay for them from my pocket. I was really hoping to get a sponsor this year by performing well in Fenesta. But I lost in the pre-quarter final. So I don’t know.

Rapid Fire –

1) Favorite Movie – Titanic
2) Favorite Song – Your Love by The Outfield
3) Fav Tennis Player – Roger Federer
4) Fav Indian Tennis Player – Sumit Nagal
5) Dream Tournament – Wimbledon
6) Your Best Win So Far – None Yet
7) 2025 Goal – To win a M15/M25 Futures

19 year old Bhicky during one of his Fenesta Nationals matches

Bhicky was the only one to beat 17 year old Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar this week