Mean girls 2.0: Ankita Raina says women tennis players rarely bond off-court

The atmosphere in women’s tennis seems to be more Mean Girls than Friends. That is why Ankita Raina, 24, was happy to play in the WTA Mumbai Open last week. It meant she had family to go back to, and not a lonely hotel room.

“Normally such tournaments are abroad, and after a match, it’s just me in my room with my laptop,” Raina said after defeating Veronika Kudermetova in the first round, a towel slung over her left shoulder and a partially eaten sandwich in her lap.

Fraternising among players is almost non-existent. “At this level, the players don’t even say ‘hi’ to each other,” said Raina, an admirer of Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams. “Here in Mumbai, I have my coach (Hemant Bendre) and family with me. It really helps having them around.”.