Jay Meena and Aadhya Tiwari Target Elusive Asian Games Medal After Months of International Exposure

India’s soft tennis stars Jay Meena and Aadhya Tiwari will enter the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya with a clear target to convert years of international experience and months of overseas preparation into India’s first-ever medal in the sport at the Asian Games.

Both players are competing at their third Asian Games, bringing valuable experience to an Indian six-member soft tennis squad. Their preparation has also been significantly different this time, with extended training camps and competition exposure in Korea and Japan giving the players an opportunity to compete regularly against some of Asia’s strongest soft tennis nations.

The results are already beginning to show. India opened its Asian Games campaign in the men’s team event by defeating Laos 3-0, before losing 0-3 to Chinese Taipei and then bouncing back with another 3-0 victory over Mongolia. The results saw India qualify for the quarterfinals, scheduled for Saturday.

For Meena and Tiwari, however, the team event is only one part of their Asian Games campaign.

Jay Meena: From cricket dreams to international success

Meena’s journey into soft tennis began almost by accident. Hailing from Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, he initially wanted to become a cricketer. His interest changed after he happened to watch children playing soft tennis on a court next to his school. He eventually picked up the sport himself and progressed rapidly. By the age of 14, he was competing internationally.

Meena made his Asian Games debut at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and returned for the Hangzhou edition in 2023. At Hangzhou, he reached the singles quarterfinals, where he suffered a narrow defeat. Now competing at his third Asian Games, the 2025 national champion believes his international experience can make a difference.

“In 2018 I played my first Asian Games in Jakarta. It was a very different experience of my life. I came to know what the value of Asian Games is. This is my third Asian Games,” Meena told SAI Media. His international résumé has continued to grow. In 2024, Meena partnered Tiwari to win India’s first-ever medal at the World Soft Tennis Championships, securing bronze in mixed doubles.

He subsequently became the first Indian to win a continental-level singles medal when he claimed bronze in men’s singles at the 2025 Asian Soft Tennis Championship. He also won bronze in men’s singles at the 2026 Sunchang Open.

Meena was inducted into the Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) programme last year, receiving support for international competition exposure and national coaching camps. The support enabled him to train and compete extensively in Korea and Japan, countries where soft tennis has a strong competitive ecosystem.

“Playing in Korea and Japan has boosted my confidence. Both the countries organise leagues and tournaments throughout the year which helps the players keep in shape,” Meena said.

According to him, regular competition also helps athletes develop the muscle memory needed to handle pressure situations. India’s soft tennis team spent several months outside the country as part of its preparation, something Meena believes has given the squad a better understanding of what it takes to compete at the highest level.

“We have never won a medal at the Asian Games and this is our target coming to Japan this time,” he said.

Aadhya Tiwari’s unusual transition to soft tennis

Tiwari’s route into the sport was also unconventional. The Hoshangabad-born player started playing tennis at the age of three, despite her father having a background in cricket as a Ranji Trophy player. She initially pursued lawn tennis and eventually reached Asia No. 6 in her age category.

However, the absence of adequate coaching and the financial demands associated with lawn tennis eventually led her towards soft tennis. At a tournament, a Madhya Pradesh soft tennis official encouraged her to give the sport a try.

“I was like, ‘Okay, sir, I'll try once.’ In my very first tournament, I got two bronze and one silver medal,” Tiwari recalled. Her early success convinced her to continue, and she eventually represented India at the Junior and Senior World Championships. Tiwari made history in 2018 when, aged just 15, she became the youngest Indian to compete at the Asian Games. At the 2023 Hangzhou edition, she finished fifth in the women’s team event.

She is now India’s No. 1-ranked soft tennis player.

Tiwari has also benefited from the TAGG program and the extended international preparation. She was part of India’s camps in Korea and Japan, including a month-long camp in Korea and a 20-day pre-Asian Games camp in Japan. “I am very thankful to the TAGG scheme because the camps we got helped our game develop and improve a lot,” Tiwari said.

She believes the infrastructure, equipment, and coaching support provided through the program have helped the players prepare more effectively for the Asian Games.

This time, Tiwari arrives with a World Championship medal to her name. She and Meena also won bronze in mixed doubles at the 2025 Asian Soft Tennis Championship, adding to their growing partnership.

Meena will compete in men’s singles, men’s team, and mixed doubles, while Tiwari will feature in women’s singles and mixed doubles. They will be joined in the Indian squad by Yogesh Choudhary, Om Yadav, Aniket Chirag Patel and Aryan Thakur, with Devanshi Hareshbhai Patel serving as coach and Utsav Kumar Dubey as physiotherapist.

For Meena and Tiwari, the objective is straightforward: use the experience gained across international competitions to handle the pressure of the Asian Games. “We are well prepared” is effectively the message coming from a squad that has spent months training and competing overseas.

After years of building Indian soft tennis on the international circuit, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games provide Meena, Tiwari and their teammates with another opportunity to create history.

The elusive Asian Games medal remains the target and this time, India arrives in Japan with greater international exposure, proven medal-winning players and renewed belief that the podium is within reach.