Vishal Uppal exudes confidence that BJK Cup show will have great impact on India

Vishal Uppal, captain of the Indian team that earned a berth in the Billie Jean King Cup World Group Play-off competition with a string of good performances in Pune recently, believes that the squad’s showing would have a greater impact on the Indian sporting landscape and spark more support for the country’s women players.

Having returned to Delhi a day after helming the team’s dream run in Pune, Vishal Uppal beamed with pride that the team was bound by a sense of purpose. “Of course, Project Playoff was the primary goal but at the start of the week, I had told the team that we are fighting for all those girls, including yourselves, who need support but are not getting any,” he said.

“I think what the team has done this last week will have a greater impact than last time. We were unlucky because when we qualified in 2020, a day after we flew back to Delhi, the Covid lockdown began. And that cycle was all about Covid. We have done it again. We have actually beaten higher ranked players,” he said.

“If you see the videos of the team immediately after our qualification was confirmed, it will be  clear that we understood that there's something larger than us individuals,” he said, training the spotlight on the team’s thought process. “We were not fighting for just a playoff spot but for a larger picture. Getting Corporate India behind the team can be a fantastic outcome.” 

Reflecting on his own efforts after being named captain of the team, the 48-year-old said he impressed on the players to feel inspired rather than pressure when playing for India. “I don't think anybody had any doubts about it. Everyone understood that there is a clear path, and they understood that there is a larger goal of getting India to follow our sport,” he said.

“I have maintained that my love for my country and my desire to make my country go forward is greater than my personal likes or dislikes. When I made decisions as captain, I keep the emotions out and think tactically. Which player in our team has strengths which we can use to exploit the weaknesses of the opposing team? 

“It was very easy for me. The choices that I made were purely tactical because I understand that at the age of 32, Ankita cannot play a singles match and 30 minutes later come out and play doubles again. She understood that. Credit to her that she took the decisions in the right spirit. I have not seen this kind of camaraderie,” the captain said.

“When the team was picked, I made a WhatsApp group and messaged there saying ‘Welcome to Project Playoff. This is where we decide what's best for India’. I was clear in my mind that I will only use Ankita in singles if it is a desperate situation. I knew that Ankita and the team would benefit more when she played doubles than two matches each evening,” he said.

Ankita Raina paired up with Prathana Thombare in doubles. “I was driven by what would make India win the matches. My experience tells me that doubles rubbers are critical. Besides her own game, there can’t be a more heartening example of Ankita’s buy in than her rushing into the court to hug Shrivalli after she had beaten Hong Yi Cody Wong of Hong Kong.” 

Since the event was being played on home turf, one of the key things that Vishal Uppal wanted to do and succeeded in was in getting some of the younger players to be around.  Many noticed teenager Maya Rajeswaran’s presence as a reserve player but there were others who were at the camp in the days before the tournament.

“I wanted some youngsters to be around so that they can experience the Billie Jean King Cup. When they are called upon to play for the team in the future, they must not be overawed by the occasion,” he said. “We have to definitely look at the present but also engage the future. In a smart way, need to give exposure to a lot more players than just a few and develop Team India.”

He knows he has embarked on a tough journey in search of a system. “You know nothing is easy but that should not stop us from trying. Then again, that's also the beauty of the challenge,” he said pointing out that besides Maya Rajeswaran, 20-year-old Vaishnavi Adkar spent a few days with the team before she left for a tournament. “We have to make the right moves.”

Vishal Uppal also convinced the All India Tennis Association to let two physios be with the team. The last time I was captain, the Japanese were in Antalya with 12 players, four physical trainers, each physio carrying their own therapy bed all the way from Japan. I am glad AITA  agreed to let us have two physios with the team,” he said.

On his return as captain, he is determined to be more aggressive. “I want to make sure that Indian women’s tennis rises in a bigger way. Not being happy with the trajectory and pace of growth, I am going to be pushing harder for support for these players,” he said. “I want India to support 50 to 100 players across age groups.”

Aware that there is no female tennis player in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme and just one player in the Target Asian Games Group, Vishal Uppal is confident that things will change because of the team’s performance in Pune. “I'm not just hopeful but I am pretty sure that after this week you're going to see more names in the TOPS and TAGG lists,” he said.

As the conversation comes to a close, Vishal Uppal speaks of a social media handle picking Shrivalli as the performer of the week because she had won all her five rubbers. “I did something I usually do not. I messaged them saying that Team India was the performer of the week,” he said in keeping with his clarion call – There is no I in this team, there is only we.