"I think I should work mentally, more than on-court" - Rathika Seelan keen to claim the National women's singles title
Tamil Nadu's Rathika Seelan won her first-ever PSA Challenger title at the Indore leg of the HCL Squash Tour in May earlier this year. In the same month, she also clinched the National women's doubles title with Pooja Arthi at the Indian Squash and Triathlon Academy (ISTA).
However, things have not been all easy for Rathika Seelan. She slipped to a straight-game defeat at the hands of Anahat Singh in the final of the Chennai leg of the HCL Squash Tour on Monday. She was off-color and made several unforced errors, which cost her the match.
Moreover, it was her second defeat against Anahat in a crucial game in the PSA Challenger Tour this year. She faced defeat in straight games in a mere 16 minutes at the JSW Willingdon Little Masters and Senior Tournament semi-final in Mumbai in January.
On these defeats, Rathika Seelan admitted that she needed to improve her mental resilience to perform better in important games.
“(In Monday’s final) I made a lot of mistakes, mostly couldn’t anticipate what she would do, and was very slow. Definitely, I have to be mentally stronger. I know she is a better player and that was a mental block, because I think it impeded me from playing freely and comfortably. I think I should work mentally, more than on-court. No matter how much I push physically, I think mentally it matters at the end of the day," she told The Hindu.
Following her defeat against Tanvi Khanna in the semifinal the previous time, Rathika is keen to claim the National women's singles title this time around.
Rathika Seelam credits coach for upturn in form this year
Coach Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu has played a vital role in Rathika Seelan's success so far. Praising his inputs, Seelam told The Hindu:
“I have been training with him for 3-4 months now. Game-wise, I’m playing more consistently. Earlier, I didn’t have consistent results. Now, it’s comparatively more consistent."
“We work almost everyday. Whatever he says, I try my best to listen to it. He has international experience, so his inputs have been beneficial,” she said at the ISTA here on Monday," she added.
She also acknowledged that the Brain Training (Neurofeedback training), which is a part of the HCL Squash Podium Program, has helped her.
“We have mental games - virtual reality. Basically, it’s to improve reaction time. We’ve been doing a lot of breathing exercises. So, it helps for me to reset myself after long rallies," she stated.
The training has certainly helped her as she rallied from a game down to go on and win a 45-minute quarterfinal, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-13, 11-1 against Pooja Raghu in the Chennai leg of the HCL Squash Tour.