Mom's Presence in Stands is What Pumped Me, Says Ankita Raina

Ankita Raina has maintained her position at No. 1 singles contestant in India for over 3 years now. She  strived hard to compete in the singles' level in tennis when the whole country was gathering to cheer up for the double players. Not to forget how hard it is to progress on the ultra competitive WTA circuit. Ankita's ranking has been around the 250 mark and reached the best (at 222) back in 2015. But, rankings are just a number for her as she is constantly able to beat the players in top 100.

She has also earned five ITF singles - 3 of them were in New Delhi and one in Mumbai when she managed to reach the quarter-finals of the $125,000 Mumbai Open. Her one of the fabulous and killer performances was also showcased this Wednesday when she won against Lin Zhu who ranks 133 places above her in the WTA rankings. And she had every reasons to perform so well as her mum and her mama (maternal uncle) flew all the way from Pune to watch her. "Their presence pumped me up," said Ankita Raina. Lack of financial support from government has been one of Raina's complaints. The All India Tennis Association did put her name for the TOP scheme only to see it missing from the final list. Hopefully, these wins will send a positive message to the government.

 By: Neha Maheshwari

Content: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/top-stories/moms-presence-pumped-me-up-ankita-raina/articleshow/62825989.cms