PUNE: Karman Kaur Thandi believes the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup tie in Latvia is a “big opportunity” for her to prove her mettle and that she couldn’t have asked for better conditions to do so.
Karman was not part of the Indian team that finished second behind China in the Group 1 zonal competition in Dubai early last year to book a berth in the World Group playoff clash – on April 16-17 in Jurmala, near Riga.
The tall and slender girl from Delhi was then recovering from an injury that cost her most of the 2019 season, and the lockdown delayed her return until the start of 2021.
Having eased her way back into action on the ITF circuit, she felt that locking horns with some of the top players on the women’s tour would provide the exact measure of her game and fitness.
“I am really excited to be part of the (Indian) team once again. And to play the playoffs the first time ever, because we did a good job in Dubai last year,” Karman said from Tunisia, where she is currently competing in an ITF event.
“I think it is going to be (Jelena) Ostapenko and (Anastasija) Sevastova, so it depends who is going to play from there.
“But I think for me it is going to be a really big opportunity because when I got injured I was playing this level of WTAs and stuff.
“And getting out of it and starting in $15Ks, it is really a good opportunity for me to see where I stand coming out of injury.
“Now that I have got some matches under the belt, I feel better and the confidence is also getting better and I am improving.”
Latvia have opted the indoor hard courts of Lielupe in Jurmala, about 40 km from their national capital, to host India. The winner of the tie advances to the World Group Qualifiers early next year.
“Definitely that is one of the most suitable courts for me. I think these conditions are the best I could have asked for,” Karman said.
Karman, currently ranked 634, had reached a career-high 196 in August 2018 when a shoulder injury put the brakes on her.
She said the lockdown proved to be both a blessing and a challenge.
“Definitely it has been a difficult phase, the last two years … one year with injuries, last year mostly the Covid and I didn’t get to practice the whole year. I only started (training) at the end of October in full when I came to Germany,” she said.
“lockdown helped me in a way, but it was also challenging because, I could work on my body to get stronger and fitter, but it is obviously very different once you start playing, spending hours on a tennis court.
“That is what tells you all about the body, that is how you know how your body is.”
Armed with a big serve and a heavy top-spin forehand, she has a tendency to play long matches. The time away from court has not changed it much.
In 2021, Karman has a 6-4 win-loss record and is 1-2 in three-setters. She has a healthy 14-9 statistic in 23 sets overall (excluding two super tie-breaks she played in the qualifying of an $15,000 event in Spain). She is 2-4 in set tiebreaks.
Two of her matches in Tunisia – in the pre-quarterfinals a fortnight ago and semifinals last week, both lost – lasted 3-hour 38-minute and 2-hour 46-minute respectively.
The good thing about them is that they have helped Karman get into the groove.
“(It) was good, coming back from not playing so many matches and playing some good matches. I am happy and really grateful to get the wins in my pocket,” she said.
“Obviously I am not satisfied with the performances because the matches I lost (in Tunisia) I had match points. It just didn’t go my way.
“But lots of positives to take from each match I played because I felt like I was improving every day.
“The big positives I would take is my body is keeping up with the long matches. One I played was three hours and 37 minutes, something like that.
“The last match was also pretty long but my body held up. That is the biggest positive I would take from last week.”
The Indian team will rely on her to unleash the big serves and ground-strokes, and convert those long matches as well, against Latvia.
Karman was not part of the Indian team that finished second behind China in the Group 1 zonal competition in Dubai early last year to book a berth in the World Group playoff clash – on April 16-17 in Jurmala, near Riga.
The tall and slender girl from Delhi was then recovering from an injury that cost her most of the 2019 season, and the lockdown delayed her return until the start of 2021.
Having eased her way back into action on the ITF circuit, she felt that locking horns with some of the top players on the women’s tour would provide the exact measure of her game and fitness.
“I am really excited to be part of the (Indian) team once again. And to play the playoffs the first time ever, because we did a good job in Dubai last year,” Karman said from Tunisia, where she is currently competing in an ITF event.
“I think it is going to be (Jelena) Ostapenko and (Anastasija) Sevastova, so it depends who is going to play from there.
“But I think for me it is going to be a really big opportunity because when I got injured I was playing this level of WTAs and stuff.
“And getting out of it and starting in $15Ks, it is really a good opportunity for me to see where I stand coming out of injury.
“Now that I have got some matches under the belt, I feel better and the confidence is also getting better and I am improving.”
Latvia have opted the indoor hard courts of Lielupe in Jurmala, about 40 km from their national capital, to host India. The winner of the tie advances to the World Group Qualifiers early next year.
“Definitely that is one of the most suitable courts for me. I think these conditions are the best I could have asked for,” Karman said.
Karman, currently ranked 634, had reached a career-high 196 in August 2018 when a shoulder injury put the brakes on her.
She said the lockdown proved to be both a blessing and a challenge.
“Definitely it has been a difficult phase, the last two years … one year with injuries, last year mostly the Covid and I didn’t get to practice the whole year. I only started (training) at the end of October in full when I came to Germany,” she said.
“lockdown helped me in a way, but it was also challenging because, I could work on my body to get stronger and fitter, but it is obviously very different once you start playing, spending hours on a tennis court.
“That is what tells you all about the body, that is how you know how your body is.”
Armed with a big serve and a heavy top-spin forehand, she has a tendency to play long matches. The time away from court has not changed it much.
In 2021, Karman has a 6-4 win-loss record and is 1-2 in three-setters. She has a healthy 14-9 statistic in 23 sets overall (excluding two super tie-breaks she played in the qualifying of an $15,000 event in Spain). She is 2-4 in set tiebreaks.
Two of her matches in Tunisia – in the pre-quarterfinals a fortnight ago and semifinals last week, both lost – lasted 3-hour 38-minute and 2-hour 46-minute respectively.
The good thing about them is that they have helped Karman get into the groove.
“(It) was good, coming back from not playing so many matches and playing some good matches. I am happy and really grateful to get the wins in my pocket,” she said.
“Obviously I am not satisfied with the performances because the matches I lost (in Tunisia) I had match points. It just didn’t go my way.
“But lots of positives to take from each match I played because I felt like I was improving every day.
“The big positives I would take is my body is keeping up with the long matches. One I played was three hours and 37 minutes, something like that.
“The last match was also pretty long but my body held up. That is the biggest positive I would take from last week.”
The Indian team will rely on her to unleash the big serves and ground-strokes, and convert those long matches as well, against Latvia.