Pune: Fresh from a strong doubles run, Rutuja Bhosale had entered the Asian Games with momentum on her side. What followed, she says, was a campaign marked by confusion, inadequate support and missed opportunities.A week after reaching the biggest doubles final of her career at a WTA 125 event in Portugal, Rutuja reached Aichi-Nagoya hoping to carry that momentum onto another major stage.Instead, the Games turned into a disappointing campaign for India’s tennis contingent. Rutuja, who won mixed doubles gold in Hangzhou in 2023, returned empty-handed after first-round exits in both women’s doubles and mixed doubles, leaving her frustrated not only with the results but also with the preparations surrounding the event.The disappointment came against the backdrop of one of the most productive phases of her career. Playing a full doubles schedule for only the second time, the 30-year-old has steadily climbed the ladder this season, making deep runs across levels and growing increasingly comfortable against stronger opposition.The run included a WTA 125 final in Portugal, a W50 title in Spain with China’s Fangran Tian and WTA 125 semifinals in Italy and Turkey, in addition to a strong Billie Jean King Cup campaign where she went 5-1 in doubles with Ankita Raina.“Definitely I feel I belong there. At the moment I am very comfortable playing the (WTA) 125s and (ITF) 100s, where I am able to do better than in the (WTA Tour) 250s,” Rutuja said.Her transition to becoming a doubles specialist has also changed how she approaches the game.“My mindset is also changing. I was playing good doubles earlier also, but now there is a lot more thinking going into it.”That evolution has convinced her that success in doubles extends beyond what happens on court.“For me, I need a good friend, someone with whom I can bond really well off the court. If I am able to have free-flowing conversations, I can do well.”It is through that lens that some aspects of the Asian Games preparation left her puzzled.Rutuja said she had conveyed her preference to partner Vaishnavi Adkar weeks before the Games. Instead, she eventually found herself in another combination.“Me and Ankita had our chances in doubles, but everyone knows there are reasons why we don’t play together. When I was asked two-three weeks before, I said I wanted to play with Vaishnavi,” she said.The uncertainty, she felt, was not limited to partnerships.She recalled being informed about a prospective training camp in Korea alongside the men’s Davis Cup squad but she didn’t have a visa.“Then I was told there will be a camp in Balewadi (Pune) from September 19 to 23, but I was playing the final in Portugal on September 19,” she said.There was also confusion over practice arrangements in the lead-up to competition.“Last time we had a camp in Lucknow. We all knew what decisions were being made. This time, it was known that I would be playing with Yuki, but one day before the competition I was being asked to practise with Bala,” she said.Rutuja was reluctant to question the intentions of those involved, describing coaches Ashutosh Singh and Radhuka Tulpule Kanitkar as “good people”. Her frustration, she said, stemmed more from a lack of experience and support around a campaign that she felt was poorly planned.“Mixed doubles was a s***** show. Yuki was playing two matches in a day,” she said, referring to scheduling complications following rain interruptions.“And the coaches didn’t know the players. They are good people, but they had zero idea.”For Rutuja, the issue went beyond any one decision and reflected wider shortcomings in preparation. She said, in contrast, rival teams arrived with larger and more specialised backroom staff.“Every player from other teams had their own support staff,” she said, citing Taiwan’s seven-time Grand Slam champion Hsieh Su-wei.“Why can’t we have our own support staff like the rest of the teams? Poor Yash (Pandey) was the lone physio for the five boys.”The difference, she said, was evident during the weeks preceding the Games when she travelled with personal trainers Apurva Kulkarni and Gaurav Nijhon.“I can tell you what a big difference it can make, because then I don’t have to think about anything and just focus on my game.“If you want to criticise, at least give us the support staff and then point the finger at us.”The irony is that the frustration has arrived at a time when Rutuja believes she is playing the best doubles tennis of her career. With her ranking still requiring another push to consistently access WTA 250 events, the climb continues.“Many of them (other players on the tour) still don’t know that I am playing full-time doubles,” she said.The coming weeks, including the Chennai Open, will provide her the opportunity to change that.
