BENGALURU: Nothing could break his indomitable spirit, not even a ghastly railway accident which left him wheelchair-bound. Madhusudhan H (24) has now set his sights on becoming one of the top wheelchair tennis players in the country and win gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Ranked 536th in the world, he is currently preparing for an ITF tournament in Australia to be held between September 19 and 22 where he will be battling it out with 16 others.
It was back in 2008 when Madhusudhan lost his legs in an accident while travelling to his hometown Gauribidanur by train. He was sitting near the doorway of the compartment when he felt a push from behind and fell off the train. The wheels ran over his legs.
“It was May 30. I was taken to the Yelahanka Railway Hospital, but they couldn’t do anything about it and I was moved to the Yelahanka Government Hospital. From there, I was asked to go to Victoria Hospital. But by then, my legs were infected and had to be amputated at the upper thigh. I just couldn’t believe it,” he recalled.
Madhusudhan had been a good athlete in his school days. After he lost his legs, he started to think if he would ever be able to get back to running on the track. He slipped into depression and would not speak to his family members. He would even lock himself up in a room for hours. “It was a very difficult phase. I kept thinking how I would get back to school like this. But then my mother wanted me to complete my schooling. So I studied through correspondence and cleared by Class 10 exam the following year,” he said.
Madhusudhan later joined the Association of People With Disability (APD) where he was motivated to continue running and also try his hand at tennis. He got prosthetic legs and participated in some 10k runs, but he slowly shifted focus to playing tennis. “I did not know I would fall in love with the game. It was not easy in the beginning. I couldn’t move my wheelchair quickly and also didn’t have that much strength in the forearms. But I kept improving and also did many hand exercises to strengthen my arms. Now, I can gauge where my opponent’s next shot will be and can move fast,” he said.
In 2014, he met Elvis Joseph, CEO of Karnataka Athletic Association, who helped him train and also to participate in international events through sponsorships. While continuing his practice, he completed his BCom in 2017 and landed a job with a private bank. “It was not easy to study and practise at the same time. Now I’m working, but I make sure I practise every day without a miss,” said Madhusudhan.
“When I met Madhu, I saw the zeal in him for this sport. I made sure he continues. He has participated in many international tournaments and has made it to the finals. He is definitely India’s best player and is making us proud,” said Joseph.
Madhu has also participated in the International Tennis Federation-Wheelchair Tennis Championship in Sweden where he played against Petter Edstrom and Peter Vikstorm, two Olympic gold medallists. He even won three out of five matches. “Madhu will participate in different tournaments so that his ranking improves to secure a berth for the Olympics,” added Joseph.