Calling the shots

"My performances are on an up trend and so my goals are to reach (a world tennis ranking of) 250 in doubles and 400 in singles by the year end,” says 23-year-old Kyra Shroff (pictured) who came home with four trophies in July 2016. The current ranking for the right handed player is 465 in doubles and 676 in singles.
Playing for three weeks in the $ 10,000 tournaments in Réunion Island and Mauritius in June-July, Kyra mentions, "I won one doubles title and had two runners-up results in doubles; and one runner-up in single.” As explained by her father Firdaus, "The cash awards are commensurate to the position in each tournament… so the entire sum of $ 10,000 is shared between all the 32 players in singles and 32 (i.e. 16 pairs) playing doubles. The winner of singles gets $ 960 and… in doubles the winning pair gets around $ 380.”
Returning to Bombay on July 8, she took a flight straight from the airport to play at Hong Kong where she reached the quarter finals of doubles in week one and quarter finals of singles in week two at the $ 10,000 tournament. On August 1 she left for Italy to get acclimatized before playing the International Tennis Federation Women’s Circuit Tournaments starting August 8.
"This tournament play will need to continue over the next few months…as points collected help improve rankings,” further states Firdaus who realizes though that this would only be possible if she secures "sponsorships, support and prayers from the entire community.”

Her principal supporters over the years have been the Tatas and the World Zoroastrian Organisation; "otherwise it is all through family and my coach Srinath. I need at least Rs 45 to 50 lakhs if I have to travel and play 22 to 24 weeks every year,” reveals Kyra. Whilst initially either of her parents or her coach accompanied her on tours, "now due to paucity of financial assistance, I will have to travel to certain tournaments alone as it’s just too expensive to take another person along,” she explains.
While on the tennis circuit abroad, travel is mainly from the hotel to the courts to curb expenses. Eating too is in and around a hotel which is reasonably priced. To relax after a gruelling match or practice schedule, Kyra listens to music, watches movies and serials.
Ranked India Number 1 in women’s tennis in 2013 and Junior India Number 1 for a few years prior, an injury had impeded her progress for some time. Having bounced back, on regular days, she plays two hours of tennis in the morning followed by one hour of physical training with the same schedule repeated in the afternoon/evenings. During tournaments, she practices for about 30 minutes to an hour before the match and after the match she does 45 minutes of stretching. She says, "Practice after a match depends upon what time I finish the match and if there is enough recovery time for the next day’s match.” Practice also depends on the duration of the match.
Happy to unwind with family and a few close friends, Kyra says, "I do my kusti daily and go to the agiary whenever I am in Bombay…I wear my kusti during all my matches also.”