Kartik
India Rank #1 Player Karthik Karunakaran's journey in his own words: "Everyone has a story- some told and others untold. Where do I begin? I was a normal new born like the others. Life, as they say, has its own twists and turns. My life had a few as well."
Life's Twist & Turn: Stage 1 - "Birth- Eternal"
I was born a normal child, as I already mentioned. I vaguely recall my mother telling me I was born with enthusiasm.
On a beautiful rainy day, at the age of one, unsupervised, I went outside to play in the rain. The following day, I was ill with high fever and never stood up! My parents carried me to the hospital. How could one's life change overnight? In fact, it did!
My parents have always been my biggest supporters and helped me overcome challenges in life. My father encouraged my independence and ensured that I was capable of handling my own responsibilities. The best gift he gave me was a good education.
Life's Twist & Turn: Stage 2 - "Love"
The word "woman" doesn't elicit powerful emotions in you by itself. I've had gratitude for them as a man, probably because of my mother. I fell in love like every other man. After five years of dating, we were married. She was the first woman I had ever met. My marriage was not ideal and despite all the misunderstandings we were blessed with a daughter. We were forced to part ways and that is when I started playing Wheelchair Tennis.
Life's Twist & Turn: Stage 3 - A New Beginning, Self-Love, and Discovery
Making an adventurous discovery requires a lot of guts. The difficult part was fighting all the demons inside and outside.
Mariappan Durai has been my dear friend and mentor. He helped me rebuild my life around tennis and laid the foundation for my Wheelchair Tennis career which I started in 2015. I am who I am, today because of him. His lessons, together with my own efforts, have propelled me to the rank of India No. 1. My first-ever international match was in 2016 which left me with some wonderful memories.
In 2017 I took part in matches in Bangalore, where I experienced my first victory. I trained in Thailand for three months between April- June, 2018. Whether winning or loosing, my motto is- Never give up. I'd like to conclude with my most recent victory at the Chennai tournament in December 2022. I owe my thanks, for giving me a chance to share my story.