I don’t feel the pressure of carrying Dipika’s legacy: Sunayna

In a candid chat with us, the 19-year-old opens up about her life off the court, how she doesn’t feel the pressure of carrying Dipika’s legacy and her fears of being a sportsperson.

“I come from a family of sportspersons and Dipika introduced me to squash. I used to accompany her to squash camps and the sport quickly piqued my interest. I didn’t understand what the sport was or how it was played. But as time went by, I became deeply attached to the sport and started training at the Indian Squash Academy, Purasaiwalkam. I’ve been playing in various state and national tournaments since then,” says the youngster.

Sunayna is currently training for one of the biggest championships in her career — Asian Games to be held in August. “I’ve already started prepping for the match. My days start at 5 in the morning — I head to the gym and work out for around two hours. After that, I go to the Indian Squash Academy for the day’s training. After an hour’s practice, I head home and then to college. I also practise in the evening for an hour or two. Most of the days, I don’t even have time to sit back and eat a meal in a relaxed manner,” she smiles and adds, “You might think this routine makes me tired. Not at all, actually, I enjoy my busy schedule.”

A third-year VisCom student at MOP Vaishnav College, the support she receives from her college management is immense. “I talk to my friends and teachers quite often and make sure that I write exams on time. I’ve always been attracted to the creative field — I wanted to become a graphic designer and that’s the primary reason for me to select this course,” she says.

Prod her if she has any plans of quitting squash in future, pat comes her reply. “Squash will always remain my priority. And I am planning to juggle between both.” 

Not at all bogged down by the fame of Dipika Pallikal, Sunayna denies having any pressure on her to match her sister’s achievements. “Dipika has always been supportive of what I do in life. It’s truly special to have a sister of that stature by my side. Though I have a strong backing, I don’t take certain things for granted. I call her every time before a tournament — it gives me a lot of confidence. Also, she gives me a lot of tips. If Dipika is in town, we do train together,” grins the young talent.  

One constant fear that haunts her, like any other sportsperson, is the fear of failure. “You know, I haven’t reached where I wanted to be and am really working hard to achieve my goal. You cannot have some kind of certainty when it comes to sports — be it injury, success or financial stability. Having said that, I am so motivated and super thrilled to be a squash player and represent the country in various international matches. I know what I’ve signed up for,” asserts Sunayna. 

This is her first appearance in the Asian Games and the youngster is enthused about the upcoming matches. “It would be really special if I could contribute to the medal list for our country,” she remarks.