Asian Games: PM Modi congratulates Jay Meena on historic bronze in soft tennis

Nagoya, Sep 23 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Jay Meena on Wednesday after the Indian soft tennis player created history by becoming the country’s first-ever Asian Games medallist in the sport.

“A historic achievement for Indian Soft Tennis! Congratulations to Jay Meena on winning Bronze in the Men’s Individual event and becoming India’s first-ever Asian Games medallist in Soft Tennis. His achievement marks a memorable new chapter for the sport in India. May this medal inspire many more youngsters to take up Soft Tennis and excel. Best wishes to him for the journey ahead,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

Meena secured the historic bronze after his campaign ended with a 2-4 defeat to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka in the men’s singles semifinal in Nagoya on Wednesday.

The Indian produced one of the tournament’s memorable comebacks in the quarterfinals, recovering from a 3-5 deficit in the deciding game against Sherwin Nuguit. Meena won the next four points to complete a 4-3 victory and seal his place in the last four, while also guaranteeing India its maiden Asian Games medal in soft tennis.

The bronze adds another landmark to Meena’s steadily rising career in the sport. His journey began almost by accident. Initially aspiring to become a cricketer, Meena was introduced to soft tennis after joining Pioneer Public School in Dewas. He first watched players on the court and later helped as a ball boy before taking up the sport himself.

He progressed through school and district-level competitions before moving on to state and national events. By the age of 14, Meena was already competing internationally in Japan, the birthplace of soft tennis.

The Madhya Pradesh player won the men’s singles gold at the 36th National Games in Gujarat in 2022 and has since established himself as one of India’s leading soft tennis players.

His international record has also continued to grow. He reached the men’s singles quarterfinals at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou and represented India in the team event. In 2024, partnering Aadhya Tiwari, he won a bronze in mixed doubles at the World Soft Tennis Championships, giving India its first-ever medal at the tournament.

Meena also became the first Indian to win a medal at the Asian Soft Tennis Championships in 2025, when he secured bronze in the men’s singles event. He went on to collect four medals at the continental championships.

Now competing at his third Asian Games after appearances at Jakarta 2018 and Hangzhou 2022, Meena has added the biggest milestone of his career so far: India’s maiden Asian Games medal in soft tennis.

--IANS

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