'Jolly' on court: Treesa's rise to badminton stardom

Arjuna Award winner Treesa Jolly started her badminton career at just 13, when she won the women’s singles title at the Kerala State Senior Badminton Championship in 2015. Competing against players aged over 19, the teenager stunned the field to become the state’s top-ranked women’s singles player.

Treesa’s badminton journey began at the age of seven under the guidance of her father, Jolly Mathew. With no proper badminton facility available in their locality, Mathew built a court on the premises of their home at Umayamchal in Pulingome, Kannur, so that his daughter could train.

Every evening after school, Treesa spent around one-and-a-half hours practising on the makeshift home court. She continued training under her father until Class 7, after which she began learning under Anil Ramachandran, head of the School of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at Kannur University.

Her progress was rapid. Treesa won the junior singles title at the World Junior Badminton Championships and also finished seventh in the doubles event. By the age of 16, she had earned a place in the national camp.

In 2020, Treesa moved to the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad under the Olympic Podium Scheme. Under the guidance of former India coach and Dronacharya Award winner Pullela Gopichand, she shifted her focus to doubles and began partnering with his daughter, Gayatri Gopichand.

The Treesa-Gayatri combination soon made its mark on the international circuit. In 2022, the pair won a bronze medal at the All England Championships. At the Commonwealth Games that year, they secured bronze in the women’s doubles, while Treesa also won silver in the mixed team event. With the two medals, Treesa became the first sportsperson from Kerala to win two medals at a single edition of the Commonwealth Games.

Treesa continued her education alongside her sporting career. She studied at St Joseph’s High School, Cherupuzha; St John’s Higher Secondary School, Palavayal; and KPRG HSS, Kalliasseri. She later completed a BBA degree from Government Brennen College, Thalassery.

Having represented India at the World Championships, Asian Games and several other major international tournaments, Treesa has won more than 16 international medals so far. She is currently ranked 20th in the world in women’s doubles.

From a badminton court built by her father at home in a Kannur village to the biggest stages in world badminton, Treesa’s journey has been one of remarkable progress, and, true to her name, she has remained ‘Jolly’ on court.