CRASTO Tanisha

General
REPRESENTING INDIA
Born to Indian parents in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, she began her international career representing Bahrain. In 2017 she started competing on the state circuit in India and switched to representing the country after joining the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad. "When I wanted to take up badminton and create a BWF [Badminton World Federation] ID, Dubai wasn't registered yet for it and therefore I had to sign up for Bahrain. For a year or so, I played a lot for Bahrain, and played in the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] circuit. However, I always wanted to play for India. So I moved here and started playing states for Goa, and soon I was spotted by the people at the Gopichand Academy when I was topping in the tournaments." In 2022 she was granted a Golden Visa by the Emirati government, which allows her a 10-year residency. "It's not something that is given to everyone. It's a really big thing for me as the 10-year visa gives me the liberty to come back whenever I want, otherwise I have to enter and exit every six months in between my busy schedule, travelling between tournaments." (gulfnews, 30 Jul 2022; thebridge, 09 Mar 2022; cynergysports, 23 Jun 2020)

TRAINING IN INDIA
In 2019 she moved to Hyderabad, India, to train at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy. "The training in Hyderabad is very different to what I have done in Dubai. It's really hard and the numerous talented players make you work even harder to move ahead of your competition. The badminton court is the first thing and the last thing you see before and after your sleep. Initially, there were times when I told my parents that I don't think I can do it here, I am tired. It was tough being away from my family, being away from the lifestyle I had in Dubai. The one thing that really kept me going is the love for the sport and I really wanted to do something in the sport and make my parents proud of me." (gulfnews, 30 Jul 2022)

PLAYING DOUBLES
She began focusing on playing doubles in 2019 when she joined the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad, India. "When I was younger, there were not enough players to play singles in Dubai [in the United Arab Emirates]. So I used to play together with my dad. Then over the years, I discovered that doubles was my calling. For me, this call was quite difficult. It's not that I wanted to do something in doubles because I started off as a singles player. But after seeing my performance, the academy said that they will focus on my doubles training and not singles. In Dubai, I was mostly playing a lot of mixed doubles with senior men. I always enjoy playing doubles and that was much more than singles. I think that one factor really helps me perform well." (khaleejtimes, 29 Jul 2022; thegoan, 12 Nov 2021; cynergysports, 23 Jun 2020; scroll.in, 04 Jul 2019)

DOUBLES PARTNER
In January 2023 she began playing alongside Ashwini Ponnappa, who is 13 years her senior, in the women's doubles. "I want to make the most of my partnership with Ashwini. She's like an elder sister. We're looking forward to playing our best and at least being a part of the 2024 Olympics [in Paris]. An Olympic medal is my ultimate dream, but qualifying for the Paris Games won't be easy. Ashwini treats me equally. There is no senior-junior concept in our partnership. When we are on court, we are two equal partners. I haven't had such a great partnership with any of my previous partners [Rutuparna Panda and Shruti Mishra]. I'm fortunate to have this opportunity to play with someone I idolise. Ashwini is always very supportive. She doesn't get angry whatever the situation. She tells me that I should just enjoy my game. I'm keen to learn so much from her and hopefully one day be a great doubles player like her." (mid-day, 27 Jun 2023)