Anjalika is back with a bang after a break for studies

by A Special Sports Correspondent

Young tennis sensation Anjalika Kurera has returned to tennis with a bang after a break for studies and bagged two major women’s open singles titles thus far.

She is one of those players who knows where she is going, has a plan and works her plan. Stopping to complete her GCE O’ Levels was intentional because she is hell-bent on balancing both studies and sport. And she agrees it was hard to comeback after the layoff because she had little practice and hardly any time for physical training.

She beat two of the most competitive players in the women’s circuit Neyara Weerawansa in the Colombo Championships and Janali Manamperi in the ongoing Nationals. “It was really hard for me to win because all the players are playing well,” said Anjalika in an interview with The Island.

She is modest, humble and values her beginnings and the people who helped her in her tennis journey; where she aims at playing in the Wimbledon and becoming world number one hopefully. These are her thoughts and she is willing to work hard because tennis is a demanding sport where talent needs to be supplemented with financial backing if one aspires to reach great heights.

She hails from Negombo and was first coached by one Pahirathan before receiving input from several other reputed coaches. Sudantha Soysa, Sylvester Francis, Renuk Wijemanna, Barathi Pillai, her school tennis teacher Miss Pushpa Perera and Niranjan Casichetty, as her present coach, have contributed immensely towards her tennis achievements.

Away from the tennis court’s hustle and bustle and excitement there is another source of strength where she draws inspiration and strength from. As a devout Christian she also spends time in prayer and said “I’m small made, but God has given me the talent to play tennis”.

She is a member in a closely knit family and receives the backing from her mom, dad, sister and brother. But she has chosen an individual sport and that makes it harder for her to keep playing and pursue more glory. Her commitment for the sport is such that she travels daily to Colombo from Negombo for training. That could be because she knows that the tennis hub is in Colombo and she has to be rooted in the island’s business capital where sports and other exciting and money spinning activities take place.

Tennis is an expensive sport and it would be lovely if a sponsor comes her way and boosts her career like it happens in other parts of the tennis world. According to Anjalika there have been occasions where financial constraints have come in the way of her participating at ‘women’s future tournaments’.

All this has been achieved by age 17. And the demands of the game have perhaps had a toll on her thus far. She said she has a troubling back injury at present, but she managed to overcome all the challenges in the present tournament she is competing in. Perhaps every player will encounter a back injury sometime during his/her career and it seems Anjalika has faced it rather prematurely. Looking on the bright side of it such injuries teach valuable lessons and make you a better player; example Wasim Akram in cricket. The good news for her is that she is quite young hence with proper conditioning of the back muscle and strength training she could have complete recovery of the injury.

She has contested many overseas tournaments as a national player. Anjalika was ranked 575 in the world among under 18 girls by the ITF in 2019. She hopes to play in ITF tournaments lined up for the coming year.

She needs guidance, exposure and to maintain her will to become the top contender at all future tournaments here in Sri Lanka. No challenge at a tournament played here in Sri Lanka is complete without the participation of Anika Senewiratne. “I love playing against Anika because she is so talented. She is the toughest player to beat from the ones around and I managed to overcome her in past tournaments at the Colombo Championships and Nationals,” said Anjalika.

She praises her school Ave Maria Convent in Negombo, its Principal Sister Shirmila Jayawardena, teachers and her best friends for the constant support and encouragement extended to her during her career in tennis.

She said that she constantly judges herself because she wants to make improvements. And most importantly she believes in the fact that she was born to play tennis and has the talent to pursue the sport. She concluded by saying “I love tennis. Tennis is my life”.