Jay Meena: Ball Boy To Asian Games Medallist

Jay Meena wanted to become a cricketer. A stint as a school ball boy introduced him to soft tennis, setting him on an unexpected path to an Asian Games medal.

Jay Meena dreamed of becoming a cricketer, but a stint as a school ball boy introduced him to soft tennis and changed the course of his life.

Growing up in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, cricket was the sport he loved. But at the Pioneer Public School, he found himself drawn to the soft tennis court, where he first watched the game before eventually picking up a racquet himself.

From cricket dream to soft tennis court

Jay was initially only a ball boy who watched the players, helped collect the balls.

What began almost by accident has now taken the 24 year old to an Asian Games podium.

On Wednesday, Meena won bronze in the men's singles at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, becoming the first Indian to win an Asian Games medal in soft tennis.

He progressed through school, district, state and national competitions before representing India internationally at just 14.

What is soft tennis?

Invented in Japan in the late 19th century, soft tennis is similar to conventional tennis but is played with lighter, softer rubber balls.

It also has a different scoring system, with four points needed to win a game. Matches are generally played over seven or nine games.

Japan remains the sport's traditional stronghold, making Jay's achievement in Aichi-Nagoya even more significant.

Learning a sport few Indians know

His route to the podium was hardly straightforward.

Jay booked his place in the semifinals with a thrilling 4-3 quarterfinal victory over the Philippines' Sherwin Nuguit.

After dropping the opening game 0-4, he fought back and held his nerve in the deciding game, winning 7-5.

The semifinal against Japan's Takuya Kurosaka brought another fightback. Meena lost the first three games but refused to go quietly, winning the next two before eventually losing 2-4.

The defeat ended his gold medal hopes but guaranteed him a bronze and a place in Indian sporting history.

The Asian Games medal adds to a series of landmarks in Jay's career.

He won men's singles gold at the 2022 National Games in Gujarat and became India's national singles champion in 2025.

He had already made history internationally in 2024, when he and Aadhya Tiwari won bronze in mixed doubles at the World Soft Tennis Championships, India's first medal at the event.

A year later, Jay became the first Indian to win a medal at the Asian Soft Tennis Championships, taking singles bronze and finishing the tournament with four medals across men's singles, mixed doubles, men's team and mixed team events.

But the biggest moment has come in Japan.

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