NEW DELHI: Vaishnavi Adkar has climbed more than 300 places in the world rankings since returning from a career-stalling ACL injury, risen to become India’s No. 1 women’s singles player and broken new ground on the international circuit. Yet, at 21, the Pune tennis player has been left out of India’s Asian Games squad.For a young player building her career, ACL was a devastating setback. For Adkar, however, it eventually became a turning point.“I think it was a blessing in disguise,” Adkar said of the injury layoff.The forced break gave her time to rebuild her body, work on her fitness and address weaknesses in her game. When she returned, she was not simply trying to get back to where she was. She was determined to become a better player.That transformation has now taken her all the way to India No. 1.The 21-year-old’s breakthrough came at the ITF W100 Bengaluru Open earlier this year. Entering the tournament as a wildcard ranked No. 690 in the world, Adkar stunned several higher-ranked opponents to reach the final. In doing so, she became the first Indian woman since Sania Mirza in 2009 to reach a final at an ITF W100 event or higher.She followed that run by winning both the singles and doubles titles at the ITF W35 Kalaburagi Open. In the singles final, she defeated veteran Ankita Raina, a player she had grown up watching.The results sent her ranking soaring into the world’s top 400 and made her India’s highest-ranked women’s singles player.But the ranking is only one part of the comeback.Adkar also became the first Indian woman to win a tennis medal at the World University Games, claiming bronze, before adding the National Championship title and making her senior debut for India in the Billie Jean King Cup.What has changed most since the injury, though, may be her approach.

Asia Games Snub

All India Tennis Association (AITA) had originally proposed a 12-member tennis squad, including six women, but the final list has been reduced to seven players, with only Ankita Raina and Rutuja Bhosale among the women retained. Prarthana Thombare and men’s singles prospect Manas Dhamne are also among those omitted from the Games, to be held from September 19-October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya. After becoming India’s No. 1, Adkar faced disappointment when she was left out of India’s Asian Games squad.