Wearing a black LOVE tennis-ball t-shirt courtside in Sardinia, World No. 85 Indian ATP doubles specialist Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha stepped up to the microphone for a lighthearted 12-question rapid-fire Q&A at the 2026 Olbia Challenger in Italy. From naming the Bengaluru Open as his favorite stop on tour and laughing that a super tiebreak is far more stressful than a first date, to joking about why giving up a coach for a month is easy when you travel without one, the 31-year-old Indian pro delivered plenty of smiles off the court.
Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha — Player Profile At a Glance
IND · Top-100 ATP Tour & Challenger Doubles ProBengaluru Love, Super Tiebreaks, and Tour Life Without a Coach
Competing week after week across Europe and Asia on the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour requires equal parts resilience and humor. Caught courtside at the 2026 Olbia Challenger in Sardinia, Italy by tennis content creator Qba for his Behind The Court Q&A series, Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha (IND, ATP Doubles 85) gave fans a candid look at his personality away from the baseline.
Asked right at the start which tournament he loves playing the most anywhere in the world, Poonacha kept his pick close to home in Karnataka, naming Bengaluru, India as his favorite stop on tour. When asked what irritates him most from across the net, the tall Indian server pointed to opponents who scream far too loud after points, and shared that his childhood dream was always to become a great tennis player and reach World No. 1.
Off the court, Poonacha had zero trouble owning up to relatable everyday habits. Asked whether he ever talks to himself away from the tennis court, he laughed and replied that he does for sure because everybody does. He also admitted with a grin that he has typed out a string of laughs on his phone with a completely straight face, and revealed that, believe it or not, he sometimes cries while watching emotional movies.
“What is more stressful, a tiebreak or a first date? I would say tiebreak—super tiebreak! And one month without a coach or without a cell phone? I don’t have a coach, so I’m going to go without a coach!”
Poonacha also shared a practical system for surviving long-haul tennis travel, fueled by coffee rather than tea. Instead of picking one airplane seat for every flight, he explained that his choice depends on the schedule: if it is a nighttime flight and he wants to sleep, he books the window seat, whereas during daytime flights he prefers the aisle.
The biggest laugh of the rapid-fire round came when he was asked whether a tiebreak or a first date is more stressful. Without missing a beat, Poonacha grinned and raised the stakes to a deciding ten-point super tiebreak—the weekly pressure cooker of every ATP doubles specialist. Moments later, asked whether he would rather go one month without a coach or one month without his cell phone, he burst out laughing and noted that since he travels on tour without a coach anyway, going a month without a coach was the obvious choice. After picking number 50 for the interviewer’s Eurojackpot ticket, he asked for one simple parting wish: all the best for the rest of the 2026 season.
Every Question and Answer From Niki Poonacha’s Rapid-Fire Q&A
| # | Topic | Interviewer’s Question | Niki Poonacha’s Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Favorite Event | Which is your favorite tournament you like to play the most? | “The most, I would say Bengaluru, India.” |
| Q2 | On-Court Pet Peeve | What’s the most annoying thing an opponent can do? | “Most annoying thing is… probably screaming too, too loud.” |
| Q3 | Childhood Dream | What did you want to be when you were a kid? | “To be honest, I would say a great tennis player—I would say like World No. 1.” |
| Q4 | Inner Monologue | Do you sometimes talk to yourself off the court? | “For sure. Haha, everybody does!” |
| Q5 | Texting Habits | Do you type ‘hahaha’ with a straight face? | “I have done it, not gonna lie.” |
| Q6 | Movie Nights | Do you ever cry watching a movie? | “Uh, yeah, sometimes I do. Like, believe it or not, yes.” |
| Q7 | Tour Fuel | Coffee or tea? | “Coffee.” |
| Q8 | Flight Routine | Window seat or aisle seat in the plane? | “Depends. If it’s a night time [and] I want to sleep, I’ll take a window. If it’s during the day, I will take aisle.” |
| Q9 | Pressure Test | What is more stressful: tiebreak or first date? | “I would say tiebreak—super tiebreak!” |
| Q10 | Coach vs. Phone | One month without coach or without cell phone? | “I don’t have a coach, so I’m gonna go without coach! So yeah.” |
| Q11 | Eurojackpot Pick | Please give me a number from 1 to 50 for my Eurojackpot, so I can become a millionaire. Help me. | “I would—I don’t know, 50? Go for it.” |
| Q12 | Parting Wish | And before we go, what should I wish you? | “All the best for the rest of the season.” |
Video: Niki Poonacha’s Courtside Q&A in Olbia
Watch the full courtside rapid-fire interview with India’s Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha at the 2026 Olbia Challenger. Video courtesy of Qba (@qbadjoker) on Instagram.
2026 Olbia Challenger Men’s Doubles Result
The courtside Q&A was filmed during Poonacha’s campaign at the 2026 Olbia Challenger in Sardinia, Italy, where he partnered with Spain’s David Vega Hernández (ESP, ATP Doubles 168) in the men’s doubles main draw. Drawn against top-seeded Argentine veterans Máximo González (ARG, ATP Doubles 59) and Andrés Molteni (ARG, ATP Doubles 60) in the Round of 16 on October 14, 2026, the Indo-Spanish duo fell 6-0, 6-1 on the outdoor hard courts.
| Round | Outcome | Matchup & Official ATP Doubles Rankings | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round of 16 | Round of 16 | [1] Máximo González ARG · ATP D 59 / Andrés Molteni ARG · ATP D 60 d. Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha IND · ATP D 85 / David Vega Hernández ESP · ATP D 168 | 6-0, 6-1 |