For the MD of Insist Executive Search, playing sports is something he quickly adopted after observing a host of people around him playing. R Suresh describes himself as being a notorious child who loved games of all kinds. When he was 10 years old, he started playing tennis and continued it for the next five years. At such an age, a person may not often know what sport they should pursue seriously. It explains why Suresh turned to cricket when he was 15. Now, cricket was not a new found love in Suresh’s family. From his father to his elder brother, everyone played cricket ardently. His father had also competed in tournaments. In a way, Suresh’s drive to be a cricketer ran in his genes. However, like he explains, “I just did not enjoy cricket as much as I did playing tennis. So, I started playing tennis again and have been taking lessons for the past six years.”
He adds that his family has always been supportive of him playing sports, no matter what it is. He laughs, “It so once happened that I had my college exams, so I told my coach that I could not come as I was ill. My father called back my coach and told him that, ‘He will come, he is just making an excuse about his health’ and I had to go.” Luckily Suresh had two coaches when he was young: his father and his instructor. He reminisces that his father used to take him out to the club when he was learning and would ask him to hit the ball against the wall, no matter how unstructured his hit was. The years of learning has taught him to be a veteran at the game. Today, Suresh has been a part of several All India Senior Tournaments Associations (AISTA) tournaments and ranks 190 all over the nation. Modestly, Suresh says, “My current rank is not great but I am certain about the fact that I will be under the top 100 by next year.” Amidst his busy schedule, he plays for an hour from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. five times a week. He says that he visits the US twice a year and even there, he plays tennis; he is also a part of tennis club there.
Suresh recalls the first tournament that he played. His backhand technique was a tad weak and his opponent, being a senior, could use it to his advantage. He says, “After the tournament, my opponent asked me, ‘Can you identify my weakness, because I identified yours,’ and I was appalled to hear it. I realised how pivotal it was to know your opponent’s weakness.” According to him, it is important to feel good on the day of the tournament and work on your weakness. For Suresh, tennis helped him grow as an individual and made him utilise his potential to the fullest. Playing every morning with his racket gives him the huge amount of energy that he requires to function the entire day and with this motivation, every day, he is one step closer towards rising through the ranks.
