“When you start out at 15, you’re so excited and just happy to be there. I never thought I would still be playing even today at 40,” begins Joshna Chinappa , who won two bronze medals in squash at the recently concluded 2026 Asian Games — one in the mixed doubles (partnering with Velavan Senthilkumar) and one in the women’s team event. Exceprts:
‘HAVING A GOOD TEAM IS VERY IMPORTANT’ Having spent around 95% of her career travelling without a coach or physiotherapist, Joshna says her support system has helped her navigate the loneliness of professional squash. ‘India has a great chance to win a medal’ With squash set to make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028, Joshna is optimistic about India’s prospects. “Sania is a great racket-sport player, so that would be helpful.
‘I’ve always bounced back and focused on what’s next’ Although an Asian Games gold remains missing from her collection, Joshna says she does not define her career by the medal she has yet to win. If things don’t go my way, it is disappointing, but I’ve always bounced back and focused on what’s next,” she says. ‘SOmething inside me kept saying that there was more to give’ Joshna says quitting has crossed her mind several times, but the urge to achieve more kept her going. As long as I had the fire in me, I knew I could keep doing this,” she says. Even when they aren’t physically with me, they are very supportive,” she says. “This generation is getting support much sooner in life, and that’s a good thing,” she says. “If you want to be in the world’s top 10 or 20, you have to play those tournaments and spend time away from home and family,” she adds. I hope it happens,” she says.
“Of course, it would have been great to win gold. But medals don’t define me. I love what I do and have dedicated so much of my life to it. “I’ve wondered many times if this is all worth it and if I should call it a day. But something inside me kept saying there was more to give and more to achieve. I went back to training, played a few tournaments and did well. “I have my coach and psychologist whom I speak to. They help me get back on track, motivate me and push me to look forward to the next tournament. However, she believes her generation gained valuable international exposure by spending months abroad on tour. ‘We would get along very well’ For a dream squash doubles team featuring Indian athletes, Joshna picks tennis stars Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna, along with former national squash champion Ritwik Bhattacharya. Bopanna is also a friend, so we would get along very well. I would choose Ritwik too; he was a national squash champion and reached the world doubles finals many years ago,” she adds. “It’s great that it’s finally being included; it’s about time. There is still time to prepare, and I definitely think India has a great chance to win a medal there. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test Get the latest Lifestyle News and more. Download the TOI app.
‘THIS GENERATION IS GETTING support much sooner in life’ Joshna says today’s squash players benefit from better financial backing, government support, information and coaching.