Jai Meena secured India's first bronze medal in tennis at the Asian Games after playing his match on Wednesday. Despite losing to Takuya Kurosaki of Japan 2-4 in the men's singles semi-final, he managed to win the bronze medal.
In the third Asian Games, the 26-year-old Jai Meena was trailing by three games in the match. He managed an impressive comeback by winning two games, but could not maintain the momentum. In the match, which lasted 45 minutes, Kurosaki won with a score of 3-5, 1-4, 1-4, 4-1, 6-4, 1-4.
Jai Meena's story, which brought India its first tennis medal at the Asian Games, resembles a movie plot. He achieved historical success in a sport he never dreamed of being a part of.
Hailing from Dewas, he initially wanted to be a cricketer and dreamed of stepping onto the field with a bat. However, fate led him to a different sport that he might have never heard of before.
When Jai, who grew up in Dewas, visited Painer Public School, soft tennis did not immediately capture his attention. He simply stopped near the court, watched the game, and gradually approached. Then he was assigned the duty of player assistant (ball boy).
He probably had no idea then that the game he perceived as ball collecting would one day put him in Indian sports history.
On Wednesday at the Asian Games 2026 court in Japan, 24-year-old Jai Meena accomplished something no Indian had done before. In the quarter-final against Nugit Sherwin of the Philippines, Jai showed a powerful comeback and advanced to the semi-finals. This secured India's first tennis medal at the Asian Games, but this match proved difficult.
Jai lost the first game 0-4, regained the advantage in the second game 4-2, but then fell behind again in the third game. After this, the Indian athlete won two consecutive games, bringing the score to 3-2 and putting him in a position to close out the match.
However, the Filipino player did not give up. By winning the sixth game 4-2, he moved the match into a decisive tie-break. In the seven-point tie-break, things were not easier for Jai; he was trailing 3-5. Only a few points separated him from the medal and history. This is where the story changed. Jai won four consecutive points and won the tie-break 7-5.
This comeback allowed him to reach the semi-finals and bring India its first tennis medal at the Asian Games (bronze). Nevertheless, in the semi-finals, Jai Meena lost to Takuya Kurosaki of Japan 2-4, and he had to settle for the bronze medal.
This sudden success is not a coincidence for Jai. Four years ago, he also reached the quarter-finals of the men's singles at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. This time, he surpassed that milestone and made history.
At the 2026 Asian Games, he became the only Indian to reach the medal stage in both individual and mixed disciplines. His teammate Aryan Thakur was eliminated in the group stage. Jai's story has been steadily gaining momentum in recent years.
At the 2022 Gujarat National Games, he won a gold medal in the men's singles. In 2025, he became the national champion. His journey at the international level has constantly reached new heights.
At the 2024 World Tennis Championships, as part of Adhi Tiwari, he won a bronze medal in mixed doubles. This was India's first medal title in tennis at the World Championships. The following year, at the Asian Tennis Championships (9th Asian Tennis Championships 2025), he won bronze in the men's singles, bringing India its first title at this competition. In that tournament, besides the singles event, he also won medals in mixed doubles, men's team, and mixed team events.
Interestingly, he started his journey in the world of tennis very early. At the age of just 14, he participated in international competitions in Japan. In the country considered the birthplace of tennis, he is now making history for India at his third Asian Games.
The beauty of Jai's story lies not only in his medal. The real story lies in the moment when his dream of cricket gradually transformed into an interest in tennis. He came to the competition not to play, but to watch. Then he started picking up balls. He observed the players closely. He understood every action on the court. Gradually, this curiosity turned into practice, and practice into a profession.
A guy who dreamed of being a cricketer became a player assistant, and ultimately became an athlete who made history for India on the same court.
Mechanism of system support alongside personal efforts
Not only personal dedication played a role in Jai's journey, but also institutional support. He is an athlete in the Target Athlete Group of the Asian Games (TAGG) and trained in national camps in Ahmedabad and Jammu to prepare for Asian Championships and Asian Games. He also received assistance in the form of overseas experience in Korea and Japan, as well as preparation in Japan. During the 2026 Asian Games cycle, Jai received support of 406,950 rupees through TAGG and 1,879,948 rupees through Assistance to National Sports Federations. These figures are part of his journey. The medal is just one picture of it.