Abhilasha Bista: A young tennis player’s dedication to the sport

Abhilasha Bista is perhaps one of Nepal’s top female tennis players. She took up the sport when she was studying in grade two in St Xavier’s School, Jawalakhel. The school used to host parents’ council games on the weekends and her father and brother would go to play tennis. Bista liked to sleep in late during the weekends but she eventually joined her brother to play tennis. This got her interested in the sport.

“I started playing internationally when I was around 11 years old. My first tournament was in Malaysia. I won two bronze medals in the under 12 girls and the doubles category,” says Bista. “After so much international exposure, I got to know about the professional prospect of the sport that I did not previously as nobody in Nepal had pursued it as a career.”

Bista, with her parents, would travel abroad for under-14 tournaments at the family’s own expense. As the years went by, she participated in the under-16 and then under-18 ITF tournaments which are world ranking tournaments. She scored about 400 in the under-18 world rankings when she was 16. She felt like she was on the right path to success.

The Covid-19 pandemic put a halt to things. “I feel those two years made me miss out on a lot of changes to better my skills. I feel that I could have reached the top 100-200 ranking if I had been able to play consistently,” she says. 

 After Bista completed her +2, she decided to pursue tennis professionally. She says she has always enjoyed the process and the hard work that the sport demands more than winning or achievements. “Although I was good in studies, I didn’t feel the sense of enjoyment that I got when I was playing tennis. I decided to pursue the sport professionally and that meant giving it more time,” says Bista, adding that she looked for an online university to enroll in so that she could continue her studies while having the time and mindspace required for tennis. She is currently studying Computer Science and is in her third year.   

 Bista’s routine is built around discipline and dedication to the sport. After waking up at 4:30 am, she takes her time to get ready for the day. She meditates and journals first and then does some light exercises. “I do a mobility session that includes stretching and rolling to warm myself before I get to court. The training lasts from six to eight in the morning,” she says. 

 There are days when there are extra fitness sessions and she’s in the court till nine or later. There’s also a second training session that runs from three to five in the afternoon. After she comes home, she says she has to do an hour of stretches and rolling to let her muscles recover. “Then I have dinner and go to sleep,” she says. 

Bista believes that as an athlete you have to take extra care of your mental health as physical exhaustion can take its toll. “There are many challenges to navigate and it can put a lot of unnecessary pressure. There have been challenges but I have been able to cope with things,” she says. 

Bista likes to believe in her abilities as well as put faith in God. “When I go for matches, I remind myself to enjoy the moment, and trust my hard work. I tell myself that the outcome doesn’t matter. If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be,” she says. 

The athlete feels fortunate to be able to get the kind of support she gets from her family, especially her mother who has gone through a lot of challenges in life. She has been with Bista throughout her tennis career, egging her on and being a pillar of strength when things haven’t gone her way. “Many young Nepali athletes feel pressured by their parents to excel. But my parents are very understanding. My mother advises me, travels with me during the tournaments, and gives me great pep talks whenever anything goes wrong,” she says.  

Her parents, she adds, were with her right from the start. They helped her manage her time, juggling studies and tennis practice sessions. This, she says, helped her prioritize things and focus on what mattered. She wouldn’t go on school trips or take part in different extracurricular activities. For her, it was school, homework, and tennis practice.There was no time for anything else and neither did Bista want to do anything else. 

Her friends helped her by sending her class notes whenever she traveled for tournaments. It was sometimes difficult to juggle school with practice but Bista knew there was no way out. Does she regret it? The answer is a resounding no. She says things aren’t easy. It takes a lot of discipline to lead the kind of life she does but she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Speaking of her plans for the future, she says, “My short-term goal in tennis is to enjoy every moment as I have worked so hard to get here. I’m the only tennis player in Nepal with a professional ranking. I have a lot of tournaments coming up, including the South Asian and Asian Games. My goal is to represent my country while also enjoying the moment.” 

One thing that troubles the young athlete is the pay gap between male and female players. She wishes this was something the sports council and the government would look into seriously. Players, she adds, should be judged on the basis of their abilities and nothing else. 

Being a sportsperson isn’t easy but Bista says if you are determined and dedicated there isn’t anything you can’t do. “You have to believe in yourself and be willing to work hard. Everything else will fall into place,” she says.