A year of change: How Vaishnavi Adkar rose to become India's top-ranked player

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Twelve months ago, Vaishnavi Adkar was ranked just inside the world's top 700 and was only the eighth-highest-ranked Indian woman in the WTA PIF Rankings. A lot has changed since then for the 21-year-old from Pune.

She moved away from home to train at the Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy (RBTA) in Bengaluru, reached the final of the ITF W100 event in the city -- the best singles result by an Indian woman at that level since Sania Mirza 17 years ago -- and cut her ranking nearly in half to break into the world's top 350. Along the way, she climbed past all her compatriots to become India's top-ranked singles player.

Now, a year after receiving an unexpected qualifying wild card at the Chennai Open, Adkar returns to the tournament as India No. 1, with a main-draw wild card and a renewed sense of belief in her game. The transformation, she admits, feels special.

"To be honest, 12 months ago I was just focused on getting through qualifying and playing one match at a time," she told WTAtennis. "I knew if I kept working hard and stayed consistent, the ranking would take care of itself. To come back a year later as India No. 1 with a career-high ranking of 334 feels really special. It's a result of a lot of work from my whole team."

It’s Vaish’s time — and we’re here for it 🙌🎾Vaishnavi Adkar stuns second seed Lanlana Tararudee 6-3, 6-3 to book the biggest final of her career at the KPB Trust ITF Women’s Open W100 Bengaluru 2026 🇮🇳🔥 #KPBW100 #ITFWorldTennisTour #ITFTennis #VaishnaviAdkar #IndianTennis #WomensTennis #BengaluruTennis #RoadToTheFinal #TennisWin #IndiaOnTheRise

Adkar's breakthrough run in Bengaluru was followed by more encouraging results on the ITF circuit. She captured the ITF W35 title in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, for the biggest singles title of her career and, more recently, reached another W35 final in Monastir, Tunisia.

Those performances have helped build the confidence she carries into this week's Chennai Open, where she faces Britain's Jodie Burrage in the first round.

"The last couple of months have been really tough but positive." she said. "I've been feeling much more stable with my game, especially physically. I was able to put in a good training block and play a lot of matches. Thanks to my coaches, I feel like I'm understanding my game better, playing more aggressively when it matters and managing tough moments better. Coming into Chennai, I feel fit, I feel confident, and I'm just looking forward to competing at home."

One of the biggest decisions behind Adkar's rise came away from the tennis court. Having grown up in a large joint family in Pune, she was accustomed to being surrounded by loved ones. Moving to Bengaluru to establish a new training base at RBTA meant leaving behind that familiar environment and embracing a more independent life. It was a decision she had considered for some time, but one that required the right timing and the support of her family.

"Definitely not an easy decision because I've been born and brought up in a joint family and I'm used to having so many people around all the time," she said. "I had been thinking about shifting to Bangalore a couple of years back as well during the post-COVID times. But I was still not done with my school. At that time I did not but I knew that it was the right decision for my tennis so I finally made the decision along with my family.

"My family has always been super supportive when it comes to my tennis. The good thing is that my mom is also there with me all the time when I'm in Bengaluru so having her really helps too. Everyone at RBTA is so experienced and the whole team is just very supportive and the environment is also super positive and everything is just very professional and things have been going really well."

Relocating to Bengaluru was not the only time Adkar stepped outside her comfort zone this season. As she continued to balance her tennis career with a business administration degree -- and the occasional Netflix session during her downtime -- Adkar also began expanding her competitive horizons. Having previously played predominantly in India and across Asia, she ventured further afield to compete in ITF tournaments in Europe.

The experience exposed her to unfamiliar conditions, new opponents and the realities of life on the international circuit.

"It's been quite enlightening and a new experience for me and that’s helped me understand more about my game especially now that I have a coach traveling with me. I have learned a lot of things about my game and what all things I need to work on as well," Adkar said.

But the learning curve has extended beyond the tennis court. Competing in unfamiliar cities, often far from the support systems she had grown accustomed to, has given Adkar a greater insight of the challenges that come with professional tennis.

"Most of the times especially at the ITF events, the cities are isolated compared to India. I don't know a lot of players there yet so you're just learning new things every day. You're getting to know more people because it's a very lonely sport and after a point it just starts getting to you. I feel it's always important to socialize a bit. Also, the competition is also more cut throat because even players ranked in the 800s or 900s turn out to be like very good and the level of tennis is pretty high there."

Adkar has no doubts about the kind of player she wants to be. An admirer of Serena Williams, whom she considers the GOAT, as well as Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, she identifies aggression as the defining characteristic of her own game.

“I love being aggressive on court. I'm always like looking for opportunities where I can just you know finish the point and that is what my biggest strength would be," she said.

But while her aggressive mindset has helped fuel her rise, Adkar also recognizes that taking the next step will require a lot more. Her recent experiences have highlighted the importance of physical conditioning and finding greater mental clarity on court.

"Fitness was the biggest part that I realized and also the mental aspect about my game," she said. "I am someone who thinks a lot so that doesn't always help. Along with my psychologist, my coach and of course Rohan is also there who has the experience of being at the highest level.

"Working with all of them is really great because you get so many insights. Since we're a team all these insights put together helps to bring more clarity into my thinking and I feel like the clearer my thinking is, the better I can perform on court."

A 12-month period that began with Adkar trying to make her way through qualifying in Chennai has brought a new training base, a career-best ranking, valuable international experience and the distinction of becoming India's No. 1 singles player.

But despite the progress, she is resisting the temptation to measure her future solely by ranking milestones.

Instead, her focus remains on building a stronger, more complete game and developing the consistency needed to compete regularly at a higher level.

"I don't want to put a number to where I'll be in 12 months. My focus is on getting stronger, staying healthy, and competing at a higher level week after week. If I do that, I see myself playing bigger events and getting closer to the top 200," she signed off.

For Adkar, the past 12 months have demonstrated just how much can change in a year. And as she returns to Chennai in a very different position from the one she occupied last season, the next chapter of her journey is only just beginning.