Prajnesh Gunanesavaran returned to courts in Bangalore’s Cuban Park last week after about three months of hanging his racket and calling it a day on his career, where he won his second career Challenger title seven years ago and was at home first. This victory, as he recalled, remained one of his “special memories”, as it made him India No. 1. But unlike last time, he had a different role in the Bengaluru Open this year. Instead of racket in hand, 35 -year -old, not a former world. 75, Challenger 125 for Broadcasting Duty was present in the program.
Talking to Hindustan Times on the occasion of the tournament, Prajnesh opened his decisions to retire from the game, his injury -filled career and the near future to consider the option of coaching in the near future. Former Davis Cupe and Asian Sports Bronze Medal winner also talked about that improvement in coaching standard across the country is the only way for India to increase its single game. There are parts here …
Q) You announced your retirement at the end of last year. How is this part of life so far?
Things have been good. My wrist was bothering me for a while and I was not able to fix it. So it was just the time that I make this decision. I am enjoying life, not in one place and continuously on the road. This is a good change. I played tennis for a very large majority of my life, almost all. I started when I was five years old. So I am happy. I have done this for a long time. I am happy to call it a day.
Of course, I would like to play for a long time or may be a career of less injury, but only that can control it. It is a professional game and everyone is different, the body is different. Some are injured more often than others and it is just for me. But I am happy with how things have been played in my career. I think I got another wind.
Q) If I am not wrong, it was a wrist injury that saw that you take a break from last year after playing in Pune. It also harassed you in 2022. Can you talk about that?
I started issues with it in 2020. If you look at my results, you can see that in 2019, I retired from a match when my wrist started to ache and since it has been an issue that I could not heal. I started rehabilitation for a while. It was when I was still very close to my highest ranking and was doing well. Unfortunately, I could not only get rid of it. Then my results also started getting spoiled slowly because I could not train in the same way and in the same way. Over time, my ranking began to decrease. Due to Kovid it was not immediately away, the ranking was preserved for some time. But unfortunately, I could not catch the old level yet because my wrist never got better.
Q) How difficult was the decision because you came close to retirement in 2015 and if it was not for your father?
I had no choice because of my hand and because of my wrist.
When it comes to 2015, I was very close to retiring, and it would have hurt a lot because I thought I had not fulfilled my ability, and I could have been much better at that time. I was probably not ranked more than 500-600, perhaps even less, if I am not wrong. So it hurts more to retire, not really good, and know how good I could be.
So it was getting very or better retiring and when I did, because then I got to show how well I could play or how much I was really better that I retired in 2015.
I still feel that I could have been too much when I retired. If my hand does not bother me as much or it would have happened later, I might have become higher. But what is this. Every athlete has its own battle, and it was mine. This is the best that I can find, looking at my circumstances, and that’s fine.
I am very happy that my father pushed me to continue and before I say that I am going to move forward on something else. So I am really happy that I did this, and it. It worked for me, and I performed quite well.
Q) Looking at your career, what is your greatest memory?
it’s hard to say. There are many there. Honestly, this was when I ended playing the whole year without any major issue. He was around the year after reaching 250. When I played a full season, about 25-30 tournaments. This was very special. When I finished that year, I realized how important it was to me, knowing how my career has always been. So I was proud of him.
But if I had to choose only one moment, it is difficult to say. I would probably have to choose three different situations that were really big for me. Calling to play for India in the Davis Cup, which was a big thing. I was the first time a reserve when I was called.
The next will break into a top 100. One of these milestones is the purpose of one of these when they play tennis. Of course, this is not the first thing that everyone dreams about. We all dream about winning the Grand Slam. But then over time, you find that the top 100 is also a very large milestone because it is what lets you play the main draw of the Grand Slam.
Third, I panicked two decisions against China for India. It is difficult to describe how it felt, to be able to represent India at that level and come up with an important victory to help come through the team. it was very big!
Q) Come back to Bangalore, where did you like it?
Bengaluru is the second home for me. I trained more than elsewhere in India, except Chennai, which is my home. It is always good for me to come back there. I started when I was 15 years old, with all these dreams and then I fulfilled all my ambitions. Then when I won the title, Challenger, it was a very big thing. Incidentally, I became India No.1 when I won that title. It was a good feeling that an Indian crowd was able to do so in front of a mob. But now I am going back there when I have retired and was also very good in a separate chapter of my life. It was also fun, to be able to see things from a different perspective, now a different lens.
Q) Since Prajnesh in 2018, there is only one other challenger title winner (Nagal in Chennai, 2024) during the Indian ATP circuit in India. How much is it related to India?
It is very important to have a lot of tournaments in India. And as we have seen, we have got success where Indians have performed well in big tournaments, futures and challengers. So it is always important to have a consistent schedule of the tournament that our players with the highest levels of competition, you know, do not put too much as a financial burden. So I think it is really important to have a complete program, and we need more and more tournaments. So there is there. There are no two ways about this when it comes.
Q) Is there any way for India?
It is just a matter of high quality coaching and adequate tournament. That is the first step. And if this happens, if we have only 10 amazing coaches in the country in different places and then they, every good players produce, at the entire level of the competition, the players’ levels will go up and they will push each other and then automatically these players will become competitive.
When India has tournaments, hoping that there will be international and more international tournaments and more of these players will compete there, they will understand what to do to win against better players or high ranked players. And then over time all this will allow the entire Indian tennis level to go up and then they will do well. So this is what we want.
So, it is a matter of adequate high quality coaching and adequate tournament. The infrastructure is certainly important, but I will not give more priority than these two factors.
Q) What did you do for the Indian single sector in Bengaluru this time? The choice of Prajwal and Manas made a great fight in the initial stages.
We have some Indian players doing well now. Manas (Dhamane) is doing well. Prajwal fought a good battle. Then we have Karan Singh. We have other Indians who are coming forward from juniors. It would be good for more players to see. We should be as much as possible. This is the best way to give yourself a chance to come through a champion. Therefore, the normal level of Indian tennis simply needs to go up and hope that if all these other things happen, it is that if the ecosystem develops, we will get results when tournaments are being held. Of course, it is easier than it is said. It tries a lot, but what is it to succeed in anything and these are the necessary conditions.
Q) Would you like to take coaching or is there anything else in your mind?
I am considering this. I will join the tennis, of course, and in what capacity we have to see. But I am definitely thinking about things and just finding out what the next step is.
