Tennis Premier League: Sports is all I’ve ever known, says ex-athlete and presenter Tanvi Shah

Pune: Some of the finest tennis professionals from India and around the world are competing in the fourth season of the Tennis Premier League (TPL) 2022.

The sporting spectacle is presented by former athlete Tanvi Shah and Salil Acharya.

Tanvi has represented India in Tennis at a Junior level and Salil has been a sports fanatic since his childhood.

IANS caught up with them to hear their thoughts on their journey, their profession, the excitement around the TPL and the rapid growth of the Indian sporting ecosystem.

After a lower back injury forced Tanvi to stop playing Tennis, she decided that she still wanted to be a part of the industry.

“I know the challenges of being a professional athlete, whether an athlete wins or loses, I know how it impacts their mentality. Sports is all I’ve ever known, so I continued in the same field as a sports agent.”

When the opportunity to present arose, without the luxury of being trained, she jumped with both feet in. “There are always a ton of challenges, you always have to get better but I love all the projects I’m involved in and I guess if you love what you do and you’re passionate about it, good things come your way.”

Tanvi also added that because there was an overlap between her role as an agent and a sports presenter it made it easier for her to shuttle between both these demanding roles and still excel.

Salil Acharya was always “a sports oriented guy”, he grew up watching a variety of sports and therefore his knowledge of sports has always been strong.

“I never watched movies, I watched Golf, Cricket, F1, Tennis, whatever was on, and because of this sports presentation was a natural fit for me.” Salil was also on stage hosting shows in school from a very early age and this really helped him hone his skill set. Salil also wears many hats, apart from anchoring events, he is the VP of Radio City, works with B4U and is also a podcaster.

Asked how he managed his time between all of this, he said, “My day starts at 5am, it usually lasts 15-17 hours, but it’s not hectic as I’m shuttling between different activities.”

Tanvi has been associated with the TPL from the early days of conceptualization, and she is very excited to see the growth since its inception.

“It’s a great platform for Indian Tennis players as they play some of the best players in the world, while retaining the advantage of playing at home, and it’s a great learning experience for them.”

Salil commended Kunal Thakkur and Mrunal Jain for executing the tournament so well and the growth that has followed, he added that the format is such that “you can never predict what is going to happen or who is going to triumph and that makes the event even more exciting.”

Live broadcasting is notoriously chaotic and Tanvi and Salil echoed the high-octane nature and rigorous demands that the job entails: “People think it’s just glamorous, but there is a lot of work, sleepless nights, a lot of eating at irregular times and sometimes you just have to wait around, but you always have to be ready to switch on and give your best,” said Tanvi.

Salil further added, “Live presenting is my favorite,there is always a buzz to it, it’s exhilarating but also very taxing. You are scrambling to be ready on call, there are times when Tanvi and I have less than 90 seconds to get ready and go live. You have people in both your earpieces directing you and coordinating all the moving parts. However, It’s so organic for me now that I can start speaking about anything, at a moment’s”

Asked about the growing sports culture and ecosystem in India, Tanvi remarked, “India is still far from being a sporting nation and we don’t have a strong sports culture as yet, but it is very promising and that is why we are seeing a lot of successes and medals competitively. A lot of corporates and entrepreneurs are also starting to believe in Indian sports and the Tennis Premier League is a good example of this.”

–IANS