Karman Kaur Thandi’s return to the Grand Slam stage ended in a tough first round defeat at the 2026 French Open qualifying. She lost 0-6 1-6 to Harmony Tan, but the scoreline told only part of the story. Karman spoke to Prateek Chachra from Indian Tennis Daily shortly after — on the match, the injuries, and what keeps her going.
Prateek: Hello Karman, lovely to meet you. I’m from Indian Tennis Daily. My name is Prateek and it was an amazing match. I know it did not go your way but the scoreline did not reflect the fight that it was. You had some break points and some of your forehand winners were really good. What are your thoughts on the match and congratulations on your Roland Garros debut. How do you feel?
Karman: Feels good to be here. It’s been a long break after injuries and now that I’m back here it feels good to get back into this level. It’s just my third tournament back after almost three and a half years and I’m playing on clay almost after five years. I think I had some chances in today’s match and kind of pulled the trigger too early sometimes and dismissed from the line. I think that is something I’m going to work on. I think it’s just match sharpness which will come as I play more matches. I just have to keep believing and keep working towards this process and eventually things will settle, convert into winning the points. So I think that is something which will come as many matches as there are in the future.
Prateek: That’s lovely. Great takeaway and also it’s really heartwarming for Indian tennis fans to see you healthy and injury-free and we hope to see you in more matches like this. Really it warms our heart especially you representing India on such a grand stage. Now, one would associate you largely as a hard-court player, but counter-intuitively your biggest junior title was on clay in 2015. So how would you evaluate your game on clay today?
Karman: Basically because it was a last minute entry and my first match after a couple of years and I did not have any warm up tournaments before coming here on clay. I think I was just getting into the groove and I started probably playing clay court tennis at 3-0, love 3 in the second set. That’s when I started doing some right things and some lucky shots from her didn’t really pay off well for me to have that confidence that I did something right, so that is that is the process of learning and I think realizing and accepting what is right and how the game is coming out in the right direction which will give more belief as soon as I start winning more points in that.
But regardless, I think she’s been top 60 or 70 player so I have to give it to her as well because she has got good experience and she’s a great player. As we know, she did beat Serena as well in the past. But yeah, she played a good match. She played smart tennis. And yeah, I mean, it’s good. The first thing, the priority here and coming back in these couple of tournaments is to stay healthy, which I’m happy about — my body is in a good shape even after demanding matches because playing on clay is more demanding than playing on mud and I’m happy that I am healthy even after a grinding match.
Prateek: Yes, thank you. And we also hope the same, that you keep healthy. And also, as you mentioned, the game in 3-0, very hard-fought and some of the rallies were really good quality. And you had your chances and that I’m pretty sure is a positive outlook from the game. Talking about the injuries that unfortunately interrupted your career at several stages, how challenging has it been physically as well as mentally to repeatedly recover, rebuild and return to competition?
Karman: It’s very difficult to explain — the person who has experienced it would understand it best. I can’t really put into words what I’ve gone through, because it’s been a couple of long injuries — my elbow, my back, different things each time, not even the same injury. It’s been a tough ride. But I’m happy to have the support of my sponsor RoundGlass, and my team — my coaches, my physio, my trainer Jeral, who is here with me. Their belief in me never wavered. And the support of my family — my husband, my parents, my brothers — they are the pillars. They are the reason I am what I am, 100%. When the going got tough, they never stopped believing in me.
Prateek: That’s beautiful. And after these important years, have your goals and perspectives on tennis changed compared to when you first started on tour?
Karman: My best ranking was top 200. Right now, stepping back with a protected ranking, the first goal is to get back to that level and rebuild my ranking — I’ve lost all my points since I haven’t played in a long time. But eventually the goal is to do better than that. The goal will never change — to get more laurels for the country, to play at this stage, at the Grand Slams. That will always remain the same.
Prateek: That’s great and it’s lovely to have you back and all the fans of Indian tennis and Indian tennis in general. We love to see you back on the court and we hope to see you in further competitions being as healthy as you can be. What does your schedule look like next after this?
Karman: I go back home, train a little, and then probably get back into some ITFs. Depends on when I get a good entry — probably in Europe or China, we’ll see.
Prateek: Well, thank you so much for your time, Karman. And well, congratulations on this experience and best of luck for the upcoming tournaments. We wish you best of luck and we wish you the best of health as well and an injury-free career coming forward!
The road back continues for her — ITFs next, rankings to rebuild, and a top 200 re-entry firmly in sight. Karman Kaur Thandi is far from done, and Indian tennis is richer for having her back.
Match Highlights:
Photos: Angeles Chico