Former India tennis player Nitten, 51, swaps racquet for pickleball paddle; hopes to inspire youth after being selected to represent national team in men’s doubles event at Pickleball World Cup in Florida, USA, next month
Former India tennis player Nitten Kirrtane (left); Kirrtane during a pickleball match in Pune
It's often said that a sportsperson’s career has a short shelf life as compared to other professions. However, that does not hold true for 51-year-old former India tennis player Nitten Kirrtane, who is the first national tennis player to be selected in the Indian pickleball team for the Pickleball World Cup in Florida, USA, from October 27 to November 2.
Kirrtane, who was the runner-up at the 1992 boys Wimbledon Championship along with Mahesh Bhupathi and won the gold medal at the 2002 National Games, was picked by the Indian Pickleball Association, the Sports Ministry-approved governing body for pickleball in India, following a two-day (August 30-31) selection trial in Ahmedabad. He will partner Suryaveer Singh Bhullar in the 50-plus men’s doubles category.
‘Grateful to IPA, SAI’
“I am thrilled to be part of the first Indian team going for the Pickleball World Cup, that too in the USA, which is the mecca of the sport. I’m grateful to the Indian Pickleball Association and the Sports Authority of India for this opportunity.
I still have some goals I think I can achieve,” Kirrtane, a Pune resident, told mid-day.
Interestingly, Kirrtane continues to play tennis in the ITF Masters circuit. So, how does he juggle between the tennis racquet and a pickleball paddle?
“Pickleball and tennis swings are different, but there are a lot of similarities too and the great thing is that pickleball is actually helping my tennis because of the reflexes, the posture and the hand-eye coordination. People say that if you play two different sports your swing will change, but pickleball has started complementing my tennis game,” said Kirrtane.
“I still have my motivation in both sports and want to do well for the country. I hope I can motivate youngsters to aim higher and show them that age is just a number. You must constantly keep trying. Pickleball is growing and we want to see more and more youngsters come into
this game.
“It’s a game of the future. It’s picking up like hell all over the world and India can be the next hot spot of it. It’s a lovely social game too. It gives you a faster, easier vibe as compared to tennis,” explained Kirrtane, who is extremely positive about India’s medal prospects at the Pickleball World Cup
in Florida.
Medal prospects
“Like all other categories, I’m sure in our category too there will be good teams. I’m expecting USA to be really good. A lot of the Asian teams are also doing well. So, we’re hoping to [win medals] and I’m hoping the whole Indian team does well,” he remarked.
Indian Team
Open category
Men’s singles: Aman Patel
Women’s singles: Amrita Mukherjee
Men’s doubles: Dhiren Patel and Suraj Desai
Women’s doubles: Rakshikha Ravi and Sindoor Mittal
U-16 category
Girls: Aayra Khanna, Anushka Chhabaria
Boys: Veer Shah, Vivan Patel
50+ Category
Men’s doubles: Nitten Kirtane, Suryaveer Singh Bhullar
Women’s doubles: Bela Kotwani, Sujay Parekh
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