Mother is my driving force - Thisuri Molligoda

Angu Rajendran

Thisuri Molligoda at thirteen years is the under 14 and under 16 Sri Lanka Champion. Recently she has beaten Sri Lanka’s No 3 - Shankari Thayakaran and Sri Lanka’s no. 2 - Roshenka Fernando of St Bridget’s Convent conceded a match to her at the all island inter-school tournament due to injuries when Thisuri was leading 4-0.

Thisuri has just come back from Myanmar where the Under 14 Asia Championships were held, with a bronze medal and glory for Sri Lanka. Thisuri has been selected for the World Junior team.

At thirteen she stands at five feet eight inches. She is soft spoken and so shy that you have to literally pull words out of her mouth. All her expression is on the tennis court. She has a powerful forehand and literally smashes the ball across the court.

‘In one so young the height is an amazing advantage as it gives her an extended reach,’ says her coach Mahesha Seneviratne.

Youngest in a family of three, Thisuri says, ‘Akki is studying to be a doctor, ayya will become an engineer.” Her mum chips in with ‘So her father says to let Thisuri become the best tennis player she can be since she loves the game.’

Thisuri is a grade nine student of Visaka Vidyalaya. Introduced to the rudiments of the game by her mini tennis coach Jayantha Chandralal, Thisuri is eternally grateful to her first coach. Jayantha refused to let her choose badminton over tennis as he saw the potential in her even when she was just eight years old. Thisuri who was playing both games just as well was torn between the two as her ‘akki’ also played badminton.

But today, with encouragement from her coaches Krishantha Perera and Mahesha Seneviratne, Thisuri is simply flying high.

Thisuri barely has spare time when she relaxes with music. She trains five days of the week and then she has to go to the gym and she has a physical trainer too. ‘I have my studies too,’ she says.

She looks up to Serena Williams because as Thisuri says, ‘I identify with her. Serena is as dark as I am. And she plays amazing tennis. She is my role model.’ About her matches in Myanmar during the Asian championships, her coaches and her mother say, ‘the gold was within her reach.

She did not think fast when she played against the Myanmar champion. The Myanmar champion played a game of tactics with a lot of defensive play. Thisuri attacks. She does not yet know how to assess an opponent’s game and play accordingly.’

But then Thisuri is only thirteen. And in Sri Lanka there are only a handful of players who can play against her, leave alone play games of tactics. ‘Match exposure in this country is simply not enough for Thisuri,’ says her coach Mahesha.

Thisuri aims to be number one in Sri Lanka. She has the potential to go much further. But potential should be coupled with desire and experience. More players need to play tennis for those in the game to go further.

‘Thisuri could easily take Sri Lanka tennis to greater heights but she needs to develop a fighting spirit and to use her brains when she plays, in order to outsmart her opponents.

Right now it is only just power play with an attacking game that has taken her on to bronze in Asia and a berth in the World Junior Team,” says her mother who is the driving force behind Thisuri’s tennis.

Her mother nonchalantly says, ’But isn’t every mother the driving force behind her children?’

Thisuri will go much further than Sri Lanka number one as her mother coaxes, cajoles and devotes her entire time and energy to her amazingly talented youngest child.