Shrivalli Bhamidipaty has simply accomplished 4 wins out of 4 matches for India on the Billie Jean King Cup together with her trademark deepset focussed visage, when she goes again in time to how tennis began. The 22-year-old braving sapping warmth on the Asia Oceania group stage, whereas retaining all of it collectively, is aware of how shortly all of it acquired severe.
“I got here into tennis by chance,” Shrivalli says. The ‘accident’ being, “simply to put on all these fairly attire.” Positive, the towering 5 ft-11 from Hyderabad grew up understanding every little thing about Sania Mirza’s exploits. However the recreation gained her obsessive consideration as she acquired immersed in its self-discipline, the perfection in strokes and a sprinkling of success, together with each nationwide titles in singles and doubles in 2023.
Father BRN Prasad, a Chartered accountant, dabbled in karate, and mom B Rajshri was a basketball participant. “They by no means performed professionally however I acquired invested within the sport for well being causes,” says the World No 304, nonetheless within the far outer orbits of elite girls’s tennis.
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty stepped as much as win the primary singles towards Chinese language Taipei’s Joanna Garland. (MSLTA)
However each time she crosses the Telangana border into Maharashtra, Shrivalli has managed to crack a couple of good encouraging outcomes. At Mumbai WTA125 final March, Shrivalli beat World No 93 Nao Hibino, days after claiming World No 208 Valentini Grammatikopoulou. She got here near beating World No 199 Madison Inglis in a 3rd set tiebreak at Perth final yr, however the circuit has been one proper problem, breaking into Prime 250 mighty tough.
This final week although, she stepped as much as win the primary singles towards Chinese language Taipei’s Joanna Garland (rank 207), Hong Kong’s Hong Yi Cody Wong (rank 213) and Lanlana Tararudee (rank 170), all ranked above her. A cramping damage to Sahaja Yamalapalli, Indian No 1, meant Shrivalli wanted to step to play first singles, and she or he has been compact and constant in her bearing on courtroom, hitting deep correct groundstrokes in punishing 40 diploma climate circumstances, and exhibiting clutch temperament in tough conditions.
“I by no means considered it as sudden stress, having to play first singles. We had been ready for this. My consistency is all the way down to loads of work,” she explains, of the minimal unforced errors she’s made in Pune, taking fairly a shine to the quick whizzing, bouncing ball at nightfall. Shrivalli takes pleasure in Sticking to a routine irrespective of the place on the planet she is camped at. “Simply get up early, health unfailingly, meditate, be chirpy by way of the day,” she explains.
At a 2023 event in Indore, she strung a couple of good wins towards World Nos 175 Irina Bara and 301 Polina Iatcenko in semis to make finals surprisingly. “If you get to play good gamers, you get good self-belief,” she says, including that it’s solely within the final two years that the rise in worldwide girls’s tournaments by MSLTA (Maharashtra) and KSLTA (Karnataka) have given Indians alternatives to show their mettle. “We by no means had these till two years in the past whenever you performed at house, in entrance of your individual crowd, eat house meals. Continually travelling within the USA is dear and if we have now to take a travelling coach the funds get strained,” she says.
India edges out Hong Kong China 2-1 on the Billie Jean King Cup 2025 Asia-Oceania Group 1 in Pune!
Vaidehi Chaudhari wins on debut & Shrivalli Bhamidipaty stays unbeaten as India seal the tie with back-to-back singles victories in Pune!
Subsequent: India vs Chinese language Taipei #BJKC pic.twitter.com/cdp2gYHvG4
— All India Tennis Affiliation (@AITA__Tennis) April 11, 2025
She continues to pursue CA programs in London, and is candid in admitting that monetary struggles in an costly sport meant progress has been slower.
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Shrivalli mentions that the mentoring by captain Vishal Uppal for the final two years has helped her, “I really feel linked and he’s travelled with me so much too so my recreation improves. He is aware of my recreation inside out and we have now nice coach-ward chemistry,” she says.
A standout characteristic during the last 4 days has been how Shrivalli has saved a poker face with opponents melting down throughout her as a result of hovering temperatures. A fan of Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, what’s actually gotten going for Shrivalli in Pune is her sturdy serve. There’s a zipper to it, variations and she will be able to pull out the massive ones virtually at will. “My serve is my energy. Right here I’m simply trusting myself and going for it,” she says, as a median of seven aces have pulled her out of hassle each day.
Dealing with a tiebreak within the second set, towards a resurgent Joanna Garland, Shrivalli did properly to race to match level with one other ace. A backhand down the road with a clean swivel torque, gave her the pleasing fairly 6-3, 7-6 victory.