00:00Right then we're in a very thickly populated part of Delhi you can see
00:04houses all around me and in the house that we are it's no ordinary house it's
00:09a very special house because it houses a world champion who's that we're going to
00:14show you come in with me Anahad hi that ladies and gentlemen is Anahad
00:21Singh the current world junior champion the first thing that I noticed I've
00:25never been to a house like this where you've got a squash court on your
00:31terrace is that the secret to your success I mean we built it during COVID my
00:36parents of course because of lockdown I wouldn't have been able to leave so I
00:40mean I don't really play here too much I play here whenever if there's an
00:43emergency but I play in city for a lot so I mean it's of course I just have to
00:47climb up two flights of stairs and I have a squash court so it's great right so no
00:51excuse can't be any excuse or today it's raining or I'm not well it's
00:55right there but it's a fantastic facility first things first because she's
01:00just come fresh from that world junior triumph and in that making many records
01:06first Indian to win that particular title before that we had Josh now would just
01:10reach the final but Anahad's won the title and guess what after 16 years we
01:14finally have someone who's not an Egyptian who's won that particular title let
01:19me start with your semi-final quarter-final curse that I call it
01:23because since the age of 14 till 18 you were almost there winning that junior
01:28title but you would lose in the quarters or semis what did you do differently
01:32this time around honestly not much it was quite similar than as any other
01:38tournament that I would play I think it was just more going into it I knew that
01:41it was my last like shot at the world juniors so I think it was more mentally
01:46that the way I was going into court it was different than I would usually but I
01:50think just the build up to it and everything else was pretty similar just
01:54in my head I knew last chance and I have to do at this time yeah okay from next
01:59season onward you're going to be playing in the senior division anyway she's world
02:03number 20 even when it comes to the seniors talking about the Egyptian
02:07players you they wouldn't let you go because you met one in the quarterfinal you
02:12met one in the semi-final then you met one in the final as well do you prepare
02:17differently when you're playing Egyptian players either physically or mentally what
02:21is your preparation like honestly not so much I think whether it's an Egyptian or
02:26any other nationality it's the same thing I've grown up playing Egyptians they have
02:30dominated the squash circuit forever so I've been playing them from my first
02:33round to my final for so many tournaments so I think at this point I'm pretty
02:38used to it so it's quite the same as playing any other tournament and any other player and I
02:44think just going into the matches this time I have played most of these players
02:47before as well so it helped me out a lot with the fact that I've played them
02:51multiple times as well before I mean just very inquisitive about it I was just
02:55taking a look at the top 50 players in the world right now at the senior level
02:5923 Egyptians there in the women's circuit I mean what is so different there is it
03:04something that they eat or is it the culture you would know I mean I think at
03:09least from what I've seen I went for the world juniors last year which was there in Egypt and
03:14I mean I used to go there for practice sometimes early in the morning and I would
03:18see little kids like five six years old like practicing from early morning until
03:22like 11 p.m. and there's so many quotes there's 20 quotes there's coaches in each
03:27court and I think it's just that I mean I've never seen that before ever and I
03:31think it's like how cricket is in India it's like that for them it's their whole world
03:34it's their whole life it's what they hear about since they're born and I think it's
03:38just that that just makes a huge difference and the infrastructure and
03:42the number of people that actually play the sport now that you're going to be
03:46full-time transitioning into the senior level as I said she's already playing
03:49that she's world number 20 even at the senior level but what do you think you
03:53really need to now change when you're going to be playing with the big girls if
03:57I may call them so in terms of a preparation or in terms of a technique
04:02tactically what do you think you need to do I think it's more my physical aspect
04:06it's something that my coaches and I discussed that I really need to work
04:10towards it's of course it's been a little bit hard because I've been traveling a
04:14lot so to find like a routine and you know being able to stick to that has been a
04:18little bit tough but I think now that you know juniors is over I think it's my
04:22main priority I mean squash I can play a few hours a day but I think my main aim now
04:27is going to be working on the in the gym working on the physical aspect of it I
04:31think that's just at the top everyone in the squash level is quite similar it's
04:36what was able to sustain until you know the last point if it goes very very long
04:41and I think it's something that I'm going to be working towards towards like you
04:45know while I'm switching into the seniors right if I can make you feel better I
04:47met her two years ago since then she has put on some weight so I think that
04:51transition is going well and hopefully in a couple more years she will be having
04:55that physical attributes that she's talking about to compete with the big girls you
05:00know talking about that transition I remember those pictures of a very young
05:04Anahat I think 16 years of age last time around in the Asian Games on the podium
05:08with the other big girls of Indian squash winning that bronze medal but you must
05:13remember that time she was Anahat who has potential now it is Anahat who's a
05:19contender how do you now see this transition does it put extra pressure on
05:23you because Asian Games aren't too far away I mean of course there would be more
05:28expectations from you know others and myself but I think specifically in this Asian Games
05:33there's still so many of the top players who are a lot better than me I mean I'm
05:36not expected to win it so I think at least this time around I still have
05:40another opportunity to just you know go in and play my best squash without you
05:44know taking too much pressure and you know with the Olympics in the picture I
05:47think it's my best shot right now and yeah I mean I'm just gonna go in and
05:51just enjoy it as much as I can I feel like if I take too much pressure I don't play
05:55too well so I'm not
05:56gonna think about it too much just go in like it's any other event and you know if
06:01I'm able to win it I get a I get a place of the Olympics it's just an added bonus
06:05yeah I'm gonna talk to you about Olympics and even though there are no Egyptian
06:08players at the Asian level there are Malaysian players who are very good the
06:11players from Hong Kong which are very good so it's gonna be a tough field but
06:14talking about LA 28 that's where you know everyone's talking about squash comes to LA 28
06:20that's great news for a player like you is that on your mind do you think about it
06:24I mean of course I think ever since it's been in the Olympics even before that it's been every
06:30single squash players dream Olympics is every athletes dream and to be there but I think
06:35right now the next two years are really important for me to just make sure that
06:38action I can actually qualify for the Olympics I mean my first shot is of course the Asian
06:43games but you know just in case I'm not able to make it through there there's still other ways to
06:46get into the Olympics and and just I think the next two years just take it step by step and
06:51make sure that I'm able to reach the Olympics and you know if I am then I think my every
06:57I'm
06:57every I'm gonna put in everything to just you know make sure I can somehow get a medal at the
07:01Olympics would be a great thing and finally I you have had another experience apart from
07:06winning that title you went to the Red Bull Performance Center I know a lot of
07:10cricketers from India have come there what did you discover there and what sort of an
07:15experience was that um I mean I did I went there right before the world juniors and I think it's
07:21a
07:21very different experience for me I'm not really gone for such things and just getting to see you
07:26try different equipment out do different testing and just trying to learn so many different things
07:30from new people I think it's just something that it was something I can gain a lot from and I'm
07:35going
07:35to take it with me for the next few months especially because it's really important and you know carry
07:40it on forward and learn from it all right and on that note thank you so much for speaking to
07:44us
07:44here on India today we'll be tracking you at the Asian Games all the way back
07:47here on India
07:48you
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