Nagoya, Sep 23 (IANS) Jay Meena’s coach Sudesh Sangte feels his 22 years of hard work with the Indian soft tennis players have finally been fulfilled after Meena created history by winning India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in the sport on Wednesday.
Meena secured the historic bronze after reaching the men’s singles semifinal, where he lost 2-4 to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka. His medal came after a sensational comeback in the quarterfinal against Sherwin Nuguit, where he fought back from 3-5 down in the deciding game to win the next four points and seal a 4-3 victory.
Sangte, who has been working with Meena since he was 10 years old, said the achievement was the result of years of hard work and dedication.
“We have worked hard for 22 years. I played soft tennis with Jay Meena when he was 10 years old. He has won medals in singles, mixed doubles and World Championships. He has also won a medal in the last Asian Games in China. He has given us and India a gift. I am very happy and emotional,” Sangte told IANS.
“I have shed a lot of tears on the ground. My 22 years of hard work have been fulfilled. I hope that many such children will play soft tennis in India. We will win many medals,” he added.
Sangte also credited the Indian government for its support and the 20-day training camp organised in Japan ahead of the Asian Games.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate the Indian government. For the last 20 days, they have set up a camp here. I would like to thank them for their hard work. We have benefited a lot from their hard work,” he said. “This is the first time that the Indian soft tennis team has won a medal in singles. We have made history in India.”
The coach revealed that the team had hoped to win the medal earlier in the Games and dedicate it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday.
The medal that the Indian team has won today – we were going to win this medal on the 18th. We wanted to celebrate this medal on the birthday of our country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We wanted to give this medal on his birthday,” said Sangte.
“But we were unfortunate that we could not get that medal. But whatever medal we get today, we want to celebrate it on his birthday.”
India’s campaign had begun with disappointment as the men’s team lost its quarterfinal against Indonesia on September 18. Meena and Aadhya Tiwari then exited in the pre-quarterfinals of the mixed doubles before Meena produced his historic singles run.
Sangte said the players had also faced challenges with food during their stay in Japan but praised their ability to deal with the difficulties. “There was an issue with food. We had brought some food from India. We made our own. The children have also struggled here. The tournament was very good. There is no doubt about it,” he said.
Meena’s bronze adds to his growing list of achievements. He won men’s singles gold at the 2022 National Games, became the national champion in 2025 and won India’s first-ever World Soft Tennis Championships medal in 2024 alongside Tiwari in mixed doubles. He also became the first Indian to win a medal at the Asian Soft Tennis Championships in 2025.
–IANS
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