Texy Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Name: Dipika Rebecca Pallikal Born: Chennai Religion: Christian ethnicity: Malalayelee Ranking: Former # 1 under 17, now 48th in the world Sport: Squash Q & A: They call me the glam doll of squash in India. I’ll say, I’m 18, fun loving, and yes, it feels great to be former World No 1 (in ‘Under 17’) in squash. The biggest names in the game have predicted HUGE success for me. Givena good day, I can beat the best of best. Unfortunately, politics, an intergral part of Indian Sports, has affected my career. But I have confidence in myself and have proved myself time and again… I basically come from a sports background. My grandma was a state level athlete. She represented Kerala in javelin and was also a state level sprinter. My grandpa was a very talented state level basketball player. He represented three states in basketball – Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Now you know where my talent comes from. My school in Chennai Later, I shifted to the Good Shepherd School, and studied there till the ninth standard . I then moved to lady Andal School because they had a proper sports curriculum there. School days were a lot of fun, especially at the Good Shephered School. I had a bunch of friends who were absolute nerds and since I was not too keen on studies, I would feel quite out of place in this group. Nevertheless, we had great times together. I discovered squash at the age of 10. Before that, I played tennis a lot. But one day, Praneeta, my neighbor, asked me if I would be interested in going for a summer camp where they were having squash classes. That’s how I started playing squash. Praneeta and I were really close till I was 12 and then Praneeta left for Singapore. It was very hard on me, especially since we used to spend a lot of time together-cycling and playing. Even today, Praneeta is my closest friend and her name comes first in my Facebook group. Once I got the taste of squash, there was no looking back! I loved playing the game. I had so much to look forward to-smart new clothes, good shoes, my hair tied differently (I had long hair as I was learning classical dance too then, which I later gave up), and most of all beating the boys in the 9-point practice game. So I never missed even a single practice session. And I think the glamour of it all and the handsome boys just motivated me to play on! Initially, I never used to like boys but when I started playing squash and got my first cell phone, I started hanging out with boys too. Now if you ask me about boyfriends/crushes, well, let me tell you that there’s nothing very serious, I’m just living a normal teenager’s life! Anyway, I went on to win a lot of national and international titles after that. Over the last five years, I’ve won the German Junior Squash Open followed by the Belgium, Scottish, Australian Open, Dutch Junior Open, Asia Junior Individual Chaimpionship Singapur, Pioneer Open at Cologne, Noric Junior Open at Sweden among many other national titles between 2003 and 2007. Squash became, and is, the center point of my existence. If you want to play squash in India, you have to be with the Academy, but since they treated me badly, I didn’t want to be with them. But I didn’t really have a choice as I was under a contract till January last year. So I went off to Egypt without telling the Academy. Egypt in known for the best squash players in the world. My mother approached coach Amir Wagi who is an Egyptian and who was the coach of the Kuwaiti national team. I met him at an Asian event. The first time he saw me, he said, ‘this girl has talent and if she trains well, she will do well’. Once I shifted to Egypt, I gained more confidence because I knew I was so much better than that Chennai girl. In the beginning, I was nervous that they would rig the match. But myt coach would tell me to stop worrying about these things and concentrate on the game. And, that is what I believe in now! Know I have so much talent and I should not be worried about other things. after winning the British Open, everything has changed. The Mittal Champions Trust now funds my training and travels, and Mahesh Bhupathi’s Globosport manages my career. It feels great to be World No.1 in the ‘Under 17’ age group. But it’s tough too. I stay out of the country for almost eight months in a year. I miss my family, but most of the times, my mother travels with me. And when I’m goint to a country where I can shop a lot, I coax my father into coming along so I can bully him more than my mom. As for life beyond squash, I finished my boards this October and am in the 11th now, so I am taking it a bit easy now. Otherwise, I am lime any other normal teenager. I love dressing, and make it a point to look my best always. My nails are a very important part of me, I love dressing them up. Shopping for the latest trends in clothes – ‘Mango’, ‘Guess’, ‘Forever 21’ – when I travel is an obsession. My weakness though is spending too much. Well I am not into partying for the moment, but I will, my squash permitting, be a party animal soon. I have also been approached by the Tamil film industry and even sat through a story session with actor Madhavan over coffee. But my father did not agree because he feels I have a bigger responsibility of winning more titles and laurels for the country. Which is fine by me – squash is my priority love and life! My main ambition in life is to have successful squash career and a relaxed modeling career, and excel in both! Yes, I have a thing for modeling. Both may seem tough but I have the faith and ‘Faith and Impossible’ don’t go together. I have a tough mind and a strong will. I believe in never giving up. It’s a tough world out there, but you can overcome it… Life is short, Play it till you win ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestarranger Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 lol - at the streaked hair :D Following in Sania's footsteps, Is she? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suma25 Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 glam doll of indian squash :hysterical: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViruRulez Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 nice chick dont follow squash at all but maybe will start following it soon :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roshanrocks Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 wow :woot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViruRulez Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 She says she would try to turn into a party animal soon :woot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jusarrived Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Shes been a bit of a letdown actually , after winning the British open at 14 or 15 she was tipped to be the next no1 ..shes been pretty inconsistent at senior level . Mens have been doing pretty well though .watch out for mahesh mangoankar !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suma25 Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 ^ what happened to joshna chinappa.I though she was supposed to be the next big one and neha dhupia's boyfriend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dev.goswami Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 She is fugly :headshake: so cannot be glam-doll of india :hysterical: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jusarrived Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 ^ what happened to joshna chinappa.I though she was supposed to be the next big one and neha dhupia's boyfriend. Chinnapa is still our no1 , but hardly any big wins in here career so far . Ritwik was never a top 20 player & he hasnt been playing for some time, but hes done alright . Sourav Goshal is our best right now & ranked inside top 30 in the world Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViruRulez Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 She is fugly :headshake: so cannot be glam-doll of india :hysterical: she is hot .. not that great but not that bad either .. she can a be a glam-doll but squash is not popular and so she cannot be a sports doll I suppose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamy Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 :aha: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dark Horse Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 She's a cutie al right Wish she doesn't marry a paki:giggle: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamy Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 :woot: vala vale vale, vala vale vale, e valevalaaayyi!! vala vale vale, vala vale vale, valava lava lava laayyyiiiiiii!! :woot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelig Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 nice rack:sherlock: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4te Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 which one of them is the current picture? :hmmmm2: if in chronological order, would hit. else would still hit, but would never talk about it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkt.india Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 she is sizzeling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mastana Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Kya hoga is desh ke naujawaanon ka jahan larki dekhi nahi taarnaa shuru. Abey kuch toh khayal karo. 17 saal ki bachi ko bhi nahi chorte. :whack: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViruRulez Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 ^^^^^ it is clearly mentioned she is 18+ and she looks even hotter and older than 18 .. maybe wrong dates in birth certificate :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkt.india Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Kya hoga is desh ke naujawaanon ka jahan larki dekhi nahi taarnaa shuru. Abey kuch toh khayal karo. 17 saal ki bachi ko bhi nahi chorte. :whack: Tension mat le mastu......17 saal ki bacchi bacche ki ma banne ki kuvvat rakhti hai....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts