Asian Games: ‘If Soft Tennis Enters 2030 CWG, I Promise PM Modi Five Gold Medals For India,' Says Jay Meena

Asian Games: ‘If soft tennis enters 2030 CWG, I promise PM Modi five gold medals for India, says Jay Meena (Aichi-Nagoya: Jay Meena poses with bronze medal)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Indian soft tennis player Jay Meena, who made history by winning the country’s first-ever Asian Games medal in the sport, has promised Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India will win all five gold medals if soft tennis is included in the 2030 Commonwealth Games, which will be hosted in Ahmedabad.

Meena made the statement after securing a historic bronze medal in the men’s singles event at the Asian Games here on Wednesday. The Indian went down 2-4 to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka in the semifinal, having earlier produced a sensational comeback against Sherwin Nuguit in the quarterfinal.

Trailing 3-5 in the deciding game, Meena won the next four points to complete a 4-3 victory and secured India’s maiden Asian Games medal in soft tennis.

“If soft tennis is added to the Commonwealth in 2030, I would like to say this live. I promise you, sir. I personally promise our prime minister. Five out of five gold medals will be in India in soft tennis,” Meena told IANS. “I am telling you this right now. If soft tennis is added to the Commonwealth in 2030, this is my promise, sir. I have faith in my team. This is the dedication that gives us confidence. We deserve to win medals at that level,” he added.

Meena also urged the government to continue supporting the sport, pointing out that soft tennis can utilise existing lawn tennis infrastructure. “Soft tennis is such a game that you don’t have to develop the infrastructure. It is played on lawn tennis courts. Grass court, clay court, synthetic. You have hotels, accommodation, and courts. What else do you need to develop this game?” he said.

The 28-year-old said the historic medal could inspire more Indian players to take up the sport. “I am proud to be the first Indian to win this medal. I am proud of the fact that this medal will bring change in India. I am proud of the fact that every Indian can dream of winning a medal. Because someone has already won a medal in my country. So, I can also win a medal; now, India will catch a different wave in soft tennis. The game will improve a lot,” said Meena.

The medal came after a difficult campaign for the Indian team, which had suffered a quarterfinal exit in the men’s team event against Indonesia on September 18. Meena and Aadhya Tiwari then lost in the pre-quarterfinals of the mixed doubles event.

“This medal was necessary because I and my team have seen very bad days. This medal disturbed our sleep, peace, and the mental health of the whole family,” said Meena. “We knew that this time the government had given us all the support. The hopes of the family, the hopes of the whole of India. The Tiranga is not just a medal and a flag. It is the hope of millions of people.”

Meena, who is making his third Asian Games appearance after Jakarta 2018 and Hangzhou 2022, said the bronze was a reward for the efforts of his coaches, federation, teammates and the government.

“This medal was necessary because I and my team have seen very bad days. This medal disturbed our sleep, peace, and the mental health of the whole family,” said Meena. “We knew that this time the government had given us all the support. The hopes of the family, the hopes of the whole of India. The Tiranga is not just a medal and a flag. It is the hope of millions of people.”

"I am very fortunate that I was able to give this medal to India. I was able to give it to my team. We cried tears of victory in the court today. We kept the flag. There is nothing bigger than this for me,” he added.

Article Source: IANS