Badminton News: Treesa Jolly's Incredible Badminton journey

Her professional badminton career began with a homemade mud court, a PE teacher's guidance, words of wisdom from a coach, and hope. Treesa won the Super 100 title in Odisha and two medals at the Commonwealth Games in her first year playing doubles. 

Jolly Mathew, Treesa's father, had a passion for sports which he passed down to his young daughter, Jolly, who started training at the age of five. Despite her father's financial shortcomings, Treesa continued to train without complaints. 

"My father's monthly salary was about Rs 10,000, so we couldn't afford coaching or equipment or many tournaments," she said. Treesa showed proficiency in the sport early and became a runner-up at the state's U-11 competition when she was seven years old. 

She began her training under Dr Anil Ramachandran, the sports director of the Kannur University when she turned 13. Her journey under Gopichand's tutelage started in early 2020 after dropping a terrific performance at the Khelo India Youth Games.

She was then paired with Gayatri Gopichand, who arrived at the same time as Treesa. Both players were then trained to become doubles partners.

Teresa's heroics at the doubles badminton circuit

Treesa and Gayatri were noticeable at the Challenger level in 2021 as they played three final matches. Their breakthrough arrived in early 2022, but Treesa was diagnosed with Covid-19 at the India Open. 

They won the Super 100 Odisha and finished runners-up at the Syed Modi in January. However, they exceeded expectations at the All England Championships in March by advancing to the semis. 

Treesa aimed to win the quarterfinals because of their initial walkover against Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu. Teresa's willpower is one of her defining traits, which pairs well with Gayatri's ability to finish.

Will Treesa Jolly change the landscape of badminton doubles?

Doubles badminton in India is often downplayed as singles take all the glory. Coupled with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who are hitting milestones in men's doubles, Treesa and Gayatri are expected to take the women's front to a higher level. 

Despite the attention singles players receive, Treesa decided to choose doubles under the guidance of her coaches.

"Treesa Jolly is an absolute powerhouse. She is strong, has good hard hands, a big personality on court," said Shlok Ramchandran, former Indian doubles player and now coach. 

"She compensates with her strong smashes, drives and the aggression that a doubles often player needs," he added. Now, Treesa is determined to reach the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

The current world number 34 pair is also aiming to crack into the top 10 by 2023 and follow the footsteps of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who won a World Championships medal for India in 2011.