Teen squash sensation Anahat Singh, the youngest member of the 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) Indian contingent, is impressively articulate for a 14-year-old!
She also surprises you with her self-awareness. “The main thing is that I’ve learnt a lot about how much effort I have to put in — in terms of training — to not only reach latter rounds (in a big event) but actually win a medal.
“Right now, my fitness, like my stamina, isn’t that good. So, I need to work on my diet. I’m also lacking in experience. The experienced senior players know how to turn the game around if they are losing,” she said at the HCL-SRFI PSA Indian Tour at the ISA courts here on Wednesday.
It was her play in the CWG second-round loss to Wales’ Emily Whitlock that made her confident of playing in the PSA circuit.
“The opponent was a top-20 player. I didn’t really expect much out of it, but the fact that I actually had a very close game with her made me think that I might actually have a chance of doing well in the professional circuit. That’s why I started playing PSAs, so that I’ll get more experience and fight a bit harder.”
Playing her first-round match itself in the main glass court, Abhay Singh getting her a chocolate bar every night, and meeting her idol P.V. Sindhu were her memorable CWG moments.
Winning a medal in the World junior championships is her main aim now.