A loss in the final of the recently concluded Vietnam Open may have been a disappointing end for Joshna Chinappa as she seeks a route back to her career-best ranking of 38 on the professional circuit, but the 21-year-old is concentrating on the bigger picture. “I don’t worry about rankings, I just want to keep performing well. This is a tournament I could have won, but I’m not too upset. I played my best, but my opponent was much better on the day. She is a good player and very experienced,” said Joshna, speaking to The Indian Express from Malaysia, where she is playing her next event. In Hanoi, she lost in straight games to top seed and world No 26 Loiuse Crome of New Zealand in the final, but it was a close encounter all the way. This was Joshna’s first appearance in the final of a WISPA tournament since 2006. Before this, her best results in these tournaments were making it to the semi-finals.En route to the final, she had notched up a big victory over world No 28 Line Hansen. The Chennai player, who is currently ranked 44, reveals the support of psychologist Tim Harkness of South Africa has helped her immensely. “He is employed with the Mittal Champions Trust and has travelled with me a couple of times. I have been working with him since December. He has made me realise my ability, and has also helped deal with the pressure. My attitude has changed and I am much more focused now. At the moment, he is busy working with the Olympians who are with the Trust, but I give him a call whenever I want to speak to him,” she adds.It is fitness that is the priority right now, and Joshna has been working with British squash guru Malcolm Willstrop and Matthew Heath, who used to train Sania Mirza. “My strokeplay is natural, so it is fitness that I am working on right now. In terms of the tournaments I’m playing, I am looking more at quality than quantity. My form is good and I feel good about my game. I hope to be in the top 30 by the end of the year,” she added.
