It is poetic that the child, who was admitted to Soft Tennis so that he stayed away from mischief, became the first to win a medal for his country in the country where the sport was born.

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Reaching the podium was not the difficult part for Jay, who hails from Dewas in Madhya Pradesh. But convincing people that soft tennis, one of Lawn Tennis’s oldest spin-offs, was as serious a sport as other variations, certainly was.

Soft Tennis barely had any footprint in India; nor was there a sporting hero. His father put him on a softball court to curb his naughty side.

“I was a restless kid, honestly. I was rusticated for one such mischief when I was in fourth standard and wasn’t getting admission anywhere,” says Jay. “Then I got admission at the Pioneer Public school and there were two soft tennis courts. The courts always fascinated me,” he adds.

Once his father realised his energy can be channelled into the sport, he started pushing him. “During summer breaks, my father constantly asked me to hit the court and play soft tennis. Once I started, time flew fast. I started winning medals quickly at the national level. In no time, I am here standing on the Asian Games podium,” Jay gushes.

Inspiring his cousin

Interestingly, Jay’s journey as a sportsperson inspired his youngest cousin, Dev Meena, who is the national record holder in Pole Vault. “I took up sport after looking at Jay bhaiya. He is the inspiration behind my sporting journey. Right now, I am more tense about his medal as he was very close last time,” Dev had told this masthead before leaving for Japan.

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Jay says his brother’s achievements fill him with pride, “What do I say about him? Whenever I see him breaking the national record, it makes me feel proud. Sadly, I won’t be there to cheer for him later during his competition as I’m leaving tomorrow, but I am confident he will come back with a medal.”

Reaching the podium was not the difficult part for Jay, who hails from Dewas in Madhya Pradesh. But convincing people that soft tennis, one of Lawn Tennis’s oldest spin-offs, was as serious a sport as other variations, certainly was.

To the uninitiated, he explains the difference between the two. “There are a few basic differences but overall the core of the game is the same,” says Jay. “Balls in soft tennis are very light and so are the racquets, which make all the difference.”

It is played in straight points format like badminton rather than the usual point system of tennis. Singles is played in a best of seven format with four points being the winning point while the doubles games are best-of-nine affairs.

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“The light ball plays an important role. It’s unlike tennis where the power on the ball allows it to travel. In soft tennis, the athletes have to use their own power rather than relying on the opponent’s shots to angle a return. Since the ball is light, it is affected by wind in the arena also. All of this makes it physically intense,” explains Jay.

Jay hopes that the medal will bring the much needed spotlight on the otherwise neglected sport.

“There is infrastructure, there is talent and there are players, all we need is investment. I had no support apart from the Sports Ministry’s Target Asian Games scheme. I am still without a job, if my medal can bring more limelight to the sport, I think that will be my real victory,” he signs off .