"Need to look within structures, systems": Former tennis player Manisha Malhotra on future of Indian sports

By Diptayan Hazra
New Delhi [India], November 26 : Manisha Malhotra, a former tennis player and now a prominent sports administrator, shared her insights on the key changes necessary in India's sports ecosystem to better support elite athletes across various disciplines.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Malhotra highlighted the critical areas that require attention to enhance the country's sports performance.
"Well, I think that right now, where the Indian athlete stands, we are being hampered by the lack of good governance, and, you know, the people in charge and policies are not athlete-centric, and I think that we need to kind of really look within structures and systems where there are countries which are much smaller, with much less money, who can produce much better results and why is that? The reason is because the people in charge of those sports have the intent and that's where sometimes we are lacking and we need to look after that. Indian sport has come a long way, but we still have a long way to go," Malhotra stated.
Manisha Malhotra's career in tennis saw her achieve a career-high singles ranking of 314, with five singles and seven doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. Representing India in the Fed Cup, she held a win-loss record of 17-15. Malhotra also represented India at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the women's doubles tournament, partnered with Nirupama Vaidyanathan.
Her most successful year came in 2002, when she was the runner-up at the Busan Asian Games and won a silver medal in the mixed doubles draw with Mahesh Bhupathi. She retired from professional tennis in 2004, leaving behind a legacy of determination and achievement. Along with Sania Mirza, she holds the record for the longest Fed Cup tie-break (21-19) against Uzbekistan in 2004.
Further reflecting on the significant changes she has observed in the Indian sports landscape, Malhotra noted the vast improvements in facilities and support for athletes compared to her playing days. She emphasized the importance of a more system-oriented approach in the future.
"Well, I think the sport has completely changed. I don't think that you can compare it to when I used to play to where we are right now and where the athletes are and the facilities that the Indian athlete is getting today is unparalleled and I would compare it to anywhere else in the world. So that being said, you know, looking to the future, I think we have to be a little bit more system-oriented. I think we need to stop looking at individual athletes and start looking at a vast array of systems which can touch many more athletes for the same investments. And that is where I think the big change in Indian sport will be is once we stop looking at individuals and start looking at a wider net, increase the depth of our talent and grow from there," she explained.
Drawing parallels between the development of tennis and other sports like judo in India, Malhotra underscored the need for a structured approach to athlete development. She pointed out the impressive progress made in judo, despite its relatively limited cultural presence in India.
"Well, I think sport is sport and development in each sport requires a certain system and that doesn't matter which sport you perform. If I have to compare tennis to judo, I don't think you can find two sports with more varied status in India and backgrounds of people who play and how it's administered but, you know, that being said, I think the development of judo has come a long way. If you look at it, it's not a sport which inherently has a culture in India and it's a little bit of an outsider within the combat sports and to be able to have produced two world champions and now have people for when you're going to go into as contenders for LA, I think is the most wonderful example of how if you do things correctly, you can get results," Malhotra remarked.