Mumbai, Nov 11 : These are good times for a sport like squash, which is all set to make its biggest leap in terms of world recognition -- making its Olympic debut at Los Angeles in 2028. With squash set for glory days, many young players are hoping to reap the benefits the sport will get till LA28 and beyond.

Maharashtra's Junior National Squash Champion Anika Dubey is one such player hoping to ride the expected high tide in squash and make a name for herself at the international stage.

Anika, 17, recently won the Under-19 title in the Sub-junior and Junior National Squash Championship played at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai. Having moved up a category, the young player from Pune is looking to excel at the international stage, banking on her experience of playing older players. Having won the junior national title, she will get a chance to play in the Asian and world junior championships and hopes to make that a stepping stone to achieve her ultimate aim of winning medals at the Asian Games and eventually the Olympics.

Though that is a target for a few years from now, currently, Anika is charting her course for the next two seasons with her coach Abhinav Sinha, who is based in Mumbai.

"Having played at the Under-17 level for the last couple of years, this year I played Under-19. So, I played a lot of older players, and the experience was really nice because it was more challenging, and I had a lot of fun playing with the older players, and it was a new experience," Anika told IANS in an exclusive interview.

Aiming to perform well at the under-19 level and in junior competitions at the Asian and global level, Anika underwent extra training to build up her fitness and is also building up mental toughness and focus through yoga and meditation.

"Yeah, I was doing some extra training. I was going to Bombay to train with my coach, and I was training extra in Pune as well," said the youngster who picked up a squad at the age of six while watching the game at a court near her home.

"So that's how I started playing, just like it was a hobby. Because I didn't play any sports at the time, I thought I would try it out. Now, I want to play squash professionally, and I want to play especially for India at the Olympics and other bigger events. And I want to represent the country, mostly in the women's section. I'm targeting the women now," said Anika, who idolises Indian stalwarts Joshna Chinappa and Saurav Ghosal.

It's not only Anika and her coach, Abhinav Sinha, but even her parents have had to make sacrifices to help the prodigy chase her dream. Her mother has now quit her job so that she can travel with Anika as she chases her dream.

Anika sees a lot of scope for young squash players ahead, especially with the sport set to make a giant leap at the Olympics.

"I think there's a very good scope because the number of courts all over the country is increasing a lot, and there's a lot more tournaments and international players that are coming to the country for those bigger tournaments. There's a lot more exposure available. And for the next season, I think I'm going to focus on playing internationally, playing well in the junior events internationally, like the World Juniors and the Asian Juniors. And I'm going to focus on the women's category. I'll play some PSA events. I'm playing one in November and then one in December," said Anika about her future plans.

By the end of the next season, she wants to be in the top five in the women's category. She also wants to increase her ranking in the international women's section..

Coach Sinha, on his part, is providing Anika with holistic support: training that includes physical fitness, mental coaching, nutrition, and yoga. She also participates in regular international camps, providing diverse exposure and experience.

"So Anika has definitely improved recently. We have implemented a few different programs, from fitness and on-court corrections, from footwork to everything, which has been working well in her favour for the last few months.

Every year is a new year, and we try new things and try to improve on a few things. So far, she's been doing really well. She's absorbed well, but still has a long way to go. She's very young right now. Yes, it's a good thing for her to win the under-19 (title) but obviously the targets are a little higher and more importantly she has to stay consistent, which I believe given her past training module and focus, I think if she stays on the same path, which she will, she's definitely looking at some more achievements mainly in the women's as well," said coach Abhinav Sinha.

With her targets set, Anika is now gearing up for the international circuit, hoping to take concrete steps towards her ultimate aim of winning medals for India.

/IANS