“It was an electrifying match. I gave my 100%” – Shrivalli Bhamidipaty
In a gripping start to the Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs tie between India and Slovenia, India’s Shrivalli Bhamidipaty delivered a performance full of grit, heart, and resilience against world No. 162 Tamara Zidansek. Though the 23-year-old Indian fell 3-6, 6-4, 1-6 in a fiercely contested opening singles rubber, her spirited fight was much appreciated by the sizeable home crowd.
Speaking after the match, Shrivalli reflected on the emotion of representing India, the confidence gained from pushing a former French Open semifinalist, and the pride of showcasing the growing strength of Indian women’s tennis.
Q) You played like a champion and absolutely resilient performance. Can you take us through this match and your performance?
Shrivalli – Yeah, it was definitely an electrifying match. I can say I got to play with the home crowd and I’m really happy that so many people showed up, cheered for Team India at the end of the day. And Tamara was an amazing player. She’s quite experienced, and I’m happy that I could give a good fight against her.
Our team just wanted to give our 100% and put up a show for the entire India to see why they should start backing more girls and why women should play more sports. And I think we were able to do that in the first match. Hopefully Sahaja can do the same thing and looking forward to the tie.
Q) What does this performance do to your confidence given that Tamara was world number 22 and a former French Open semifinalist?
Shrivalli – Definitely it’s a big boost because I walked onto the court trying to give my 100% because playing for the country is always an emotional feeling and it’s always a pride. So I just wanted to give my 100% and play my best tennis, and I think I was able to do that.
Definitely a little disappointed that I couldn’t get the win for my team, but hopefully the rest of them can do the job for the country.
