Tanisha Kashyap has been a former under 14 and under 16 National Champion. She has represented India at the Junior Fed Cup. Tanisha won her maiden ITF title this week at the ITF W15 in Bengaluru.
Q Firstly we would like to ask you that Bengaluru and Mysore both are at an higher altitude. Have you noticed any difference in playing conditions? Has it affected your cardio or your strength? How are these venues different from other venues?
Kashyap – Last week when I played in Mysore, the courts were a lot faster than they are here in Bengaluru in KSLTA, but in higher altitude, the conditions are slower and of course oxygen is low so it affects your cardio but as such I haven’t really felt much of a difference but just because of the rain conditions right now here in Bengaluru, I’ve only had two practices here on these courts, I really love them and hoping for the best.
Q For people who haven’t seen you play yet, how would you describe your game? What are your strengths and what are the areas you’re currently working on to improve?
Kashyap – I would say I’m an aggressive baseliner and who likes to transition into the net. I love to dictate the points early on. This is also what I am working on overall as a player.
Q Can you tell us about where you grew up? Which city is your hometown? Who were your early coaches? Which academy did you learn your tennis from? Can you tell us about that?
Kashyap – I grew up in Assam, and first it was my dad who coached me, and then he took me to Hyderabad with Narendra sir and Vasu sir and then we went to Delhi to Vishal Uppal. That was the time when I won my nationals and everything and that really helped me. I’ve also been coached by Rushmi Chakravarthi ma’am and she really helped me in my career.
Q What made you pick up tennis as a kid? What made you fall in love with the game?
When did you realize you were really good at tennis and you want to take it up as a profession?
Kashyap – Growing up, I guess tennis was just something that was fun and I used to love to just play but i really loved the competitive aspect of it. Earlier when I used to swim the competition was just with yourself where you just tried to better your time but tennis was very different a feeling I cannot describe and really wanted to pursue it as a profession.
Q How has life been on tour? Sometimes you are away from home for months. What’s the best and worst part of being on tour?
Kashyap – The best part of being on tour is travelling. You get to see different cultures and places. It is tough to be away from family for long durations and they can’t always travel with me. I really wish that sometimes the tournaments are a bit closer so they could also travel with me.