New Star of India makes tennis breakthrough

ESSEN - For a moment, it looked like she might go all the way. Vaishnavi Adkar from India came out blazing in her women’s singles semifinal on Thursday in her unlikely bid to become her country’s first FISU World University Games gold medallist in the sport.

After dominating the opening exchanges against Slovakia’s Eszter Meri, the match slowly slipped away from the 20-year-old. After losing the three-set thriller, Adkar must instead be content with the bronze.

“It hurts, but I’m proud,” she told the FISU Games News Service, moments after stepping off Centre Court.

“It feels very bad. It hurts but I’m glad that I could at least get a medal for the country.”

That medal isn’t just any bronze. It’s India’s first tennis medal at the FISU Games or Universiade since Bal Nandan claimed silver in the men’s in 1979, and Adkar is the first Indian woman ever to bring one home.

It’s a medal 46 years in the making.

Adkar knew the weight of that statistic going into her semi-final match – and the media attention that came with it from an expectant home audience in the vast nation of 1.4 billion people.

“I was trying to avoid going on Instagram because it was everywhere,” she said with a tired smile. “There was some anxiety coming into the match, but nothing new. It’s just part of the game.”

Despite the heartbreak, Adkar’s performance at ETUF in Essen marks a breakthrough for Indian tennis. With powerful groundstrokes and nerves of steel, she battled her way past Germany’s Sina Herrmann in the quarter-final and secured her place in history.

‘Mum’s dream’

Her journey started long before that: in Pune, India, when she was just six years old.

“It was more just a physical activity,” Adkar said. “My mum was a big tennis fan, but she never really got to play. It was her dream that her daughters would get to play.”

Now, both Vaishnavi and her younger sister play competitive tennis. “You can say it’s a family business at this point,” she said with a laugh.

While her Rhine-Ruhr 2025 campaign ends in bronze, Adkar’s ambitions are only just heating up.

“Next time, definitely,” she said, already looking ahead to the next edition of the FISU Games Summer in ChungCheong, Republic of Korea, in 2027. “That’s going to be one of my goals to try and get a better performance.”

And her dream stretches beyond FISU: “I want to get into the Fed Cup team, represent the country, and reach the top 100 soon.”

Mental strength

When asked how she handles the pressure, especially after becoming a national symbol overnight, Adkar smiled knowingly.

“I have a few cues,” she said. “I just keep reminding myself what I’m supposed to do. It helps a lot.”

That mental toughness, paired with an undeniable talent, just brought India its second ever tennis medal at the World University Games, and its first from a female player.

For now, it’s bronze. But for Vaishnavi Adkar, it’s just the beginning.

Tennis continues at Essen on Friday when the men’s, women’s and mixed team gold medals will be decided. Get your tickets here.

FGNS sn (Srity Nanthakumar) /ph/mb

Photo: © Anthony Hanc / Rhine-Ruhr 2025