A spectacular comeback story on the red clays of Paris is set to give Indian sports fans a major reason to watch the upcoming French Open. After a grueling battle with injuries, Delhi-born Karman Kaur Thandi is officially heading to Roland Garros, ending a quiet patch for the nation on the sport’s biggest individual stages.
For a 27-year-old, entering the paris qualification is a profound milestone. It is the first time since Wimbledon 2025 that a tennis player represents India will feature in the Grand Slam singles tournament.
While Thandi has already made it through the main qualifying field three times – namely the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021 and the US Open in 2023 – this trip to France stands out as her most resilient effort to date.
A long way back
At 1.83 metres, Thandi has a rare physical blueprint for an Indian singles player, using her height to anchor an aggressive ground game and fast serve. As a teenager, she looked destined for long-term success on the main tour, breaking into the top 200 and reaching a career-high world ranking of 196 in August 2018.
However, her upward trajectory was constantly derailed by serious physical relapses, most notably an injury at the end of 2023 that forced her into a lengthy rehabilitation phase and sidelined her for more than a year. The enforced inactivity took a huge toll on her standing, causing her active WTA ranking to plummet to world No. 1467.
Thandi’s ticket to Paris was made possible by the WTA’s Protected Ranking (PR) system, an injury protection rule that allows long-time sidelined athletes to register for events based on their historical ranking average.
Thandi, who entered with a protected ranking of 238, initially sat outside the automatic entry row as the 16th alternate. Her place in the draw was finally secured after a wave of notable tournament performances, including notable names such as Markéta Vondroušová, Paula Badosa and Veronika Kudermetová.
Although her recent warm-up performances on lower-level circuits reflect the expected competitive rust, her presence on the Paris clay represents a great triumph over adversity. Scores aside, Thandi’s journey from the depths of the world rankings back into the Grand Slam environment is a stellar victory for Indian tennis.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
May 17, 2026 12:51 PM IST
