Dipika Pallikal

Introduction

Dipika Pallikal Karthik is the first Indian squash player to reach the top 10 in the PSA Women's rankings. She achieved this in 2012. She had won three WISPA championships the year before, including the Crocodile Challenge Cup, the Dread Sports Series 2 event, and the Orange County Open. Additionally, she had advanced to the World Open quarterfinals, which brought her international recognition. These results allowed her to achieve her career-best ranking of 10 in December 2012. That year, she was awarded the 'Arjuna Award' from the government. Another significant year for her career was 2014 when she and Joshna Chinappa won the women's doubles gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. This was followed by the women's singles bronze medal at the Asian Games. In 2014, she was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honor. She competed on the Indian Women's teams that won the silver medal at the Asian Team Championship and the South Asian Games in 2016, respectively.

Early Life and Childhood

On September 21, 1991, Dipika Rebecca Pallikal was born into a Malayali household in Chennai, India. She was born in Kerala to parents Sanjiv and Susan Pallikal, both Syrian Christians. Her father is an independent contractor for Reach Management Consultancy. Her mother was a member of the Indian women's national cricket team and served as team captain. Interestingly, Dipika chose squash over cricket, a sport she never really enjoyed, because it predominated over most other sports in India. Her sisters are Divya and Dia. She attended Lady Andal and Good Shepherd Schools before getting her English degree from Chennai's Ethiraj College in 2012-2013.

Wife of Dinesh Karthik

Karthik and Dipika had been friends since they were kids. Although they knew each other, they didn't interact much initially and never developed a bond. She was attracted to Dinesh Karthik, who texted her to see if they could meet. Dipika continued rejecting Karthik because she was more concerned with her profession than with the romantic aspects of life. Karthik persisted, though; one day, they went on a breakfast date. Dipika confessed her love to Karthik. After that, he flew over to visit her in England. After a few days, Dipika told her mother about their relationship, and eight to nine months later, they got engaged. It took three years for the couple to get married, but they have been blissfully married for six years. They both continue to have hectic schedules, but they visit each other and spend time together when they have free time. When Dipika is competing, and Dinesh Karthik is not, he travels to meet and watch her match. Despite her schedule, Dipika makes time for the IPL to be by her husband during the challenging month-long competition. Despite the few setbacks, they have both planned forward and maintained a positive dynamic in their relationship.

Career of Dipika Pallikal

Despite being skilled in squash, Dipika Pallikal never considered making it her career. She had to endure a disorganized federation that forbade her from enrolling in the academy while she was still playing for her juniors. That is due to Dipika's outspoken personality. Despite being one of the top-ranked squash players in the nation, Dipika was a team member. She went public with her views on this in the nation. She was prohibited from enrolling in the national academy due to the federation's displeasure with her behavior. Dipika was motivated by this to improve her squash skills to the point where the squash federation wouldn't dare to keep her off the team. She relocated to Egypt with her mother to pursue her goal of becoming one of the top squash players in the world. She persisted in her efforts, and by 2011, she was ranked among the top 20 squash players worldwide. The federation had sent her a letter urging her to play for India as a result of that. She had won the war for which she had devoted her entire life. The national federation was left with no choice but to ask Dipika Pallikal to put the events of the past behind her and represent her nation. Dipika went back to India and began her professional career as an Indian squash player after putting all of her disagreements aside.

Dipika started playing squash professionally in 2006, but it wasn't until 2011 that the world realized she was a beast of a player. She won three WISPA titles in 2011, including the Orange County Open in Irvine, California, the United States' second-place finish, and the Crocodile Challenge Cup in Hong Kong at the year's end. 2011 was by far the pinnacle of her career for her. That enabled her to ascend to the 17th highest position in the world rankings, breaking into the top 20 for the first time. After that, she competed in the World Open and ended in the top eight. She now had an even better ranking of 14, thanks to that. She was currently the highest-ranked squash player in India's history. Records and Dipika continued to work together after that. By competing in the Tournament Of Champions Squash Meet in New York, she became the first Indian to compete in a silver event final. She then set a record for a gold event when, in 2012, she became the first Indian to advance beyond the semifinals of a gold event by winning the Australian Open. Despite being ranked 10th in the competition, she and Joshna Chinappa were instrumental in helping India finish fifth in the 2012 Women's World Team Squash Championship. She didn't stop there; after winning the Meadowood Pharmacy Open, she rose to ninth place in the world rankings. The government decided to give her the Arjuna Award, the second-highest sports honor in the country, because she had not only defeated the federation but had done just enough to earn it. It was time for her to redeem that medal in 2014, and she did it in the best way possible. She and Joshna Chinappa won a gold medal in the women's doubles competition at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, giving India its first-ever squash medal at the CW Games. In Taipei, at the South Asian Games and Asian Team Championship, she later assisted the Indian team in winning gold and silver. She currently trains with pride at the ICL-TNSRA Academy in Chennai and frequently travels to Egypt to train with her coach, to whom she attributes all of her success.

Timeline of Dipika Pallikal Karthik

2012

Pallikal's outstanding performance in 2011 carried over into 2012 when she advanced to the championship Tournament of Champions final. However, Natalie Grinham easily defeated her in the championship game.

She also played a significant role in the Indian squash team's fifth-place result at the women's world team championships. The Netherlands and Ireland, who had higher rankings than India, were defeated by the tenth-seeded team from the competition. Pallikal won the competition by defeating seasoned competitors like Madeline Perry.

She made her first Top Ten appearance in December 2012, making history as the first Indian to do it. Later, she made history by being the first female squash player to get the Arjuna Award, that year's second-highest sporting honor in India.

The Arjuna Award, India's second-highest athletic honor that year, was later given to her, making her the first female squash player to receive it.

2013

India had a significant year in 2013, winning two important awards. The Macau Open victory in October is the most impressive of the two. In the final Meadowood Pharmacy Open in Winnipeg, Canada, in February 2013, Dipika defeated Joey Chan of Hong Kong in straight sets, 11-9, 11-7, 11-4, to win the sixth WSA championship of her career.

2014

If 2013 was significant, 2014 ended up even more significant and amazing. In 2014, Dipika and Joshna Chinappa won India's first squash medal. They defeated England competitors Jenny Duncalf and Laura Massaro to take home the priceless gold.

2015

Later, after appearing on the JSW Circuit in 2014, Pallikal won the Winter Club Open for her 10th Tour victory in January 2015. After losing to Sarah-Jane Perry at the Granite Open a month later, she was denied the victory.

She lost to Sarah-Jane Perry a month later and thus missed out on the Granite Open championship.

2016

In 2016, Dipika made it to the Victoria Open final. However, she was defeated by Millie Tomlinson in five games. In support of this, the squash player defeated Egyptian Mayar Hany throughout four games to win the Australian Open.

2017's Asian Individual Championships saw her win a silver medal in the singles division.

2018

Dipika won silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the women's doubles and mixed team competitions. She earned a bronze medal at the Asian Games in the singles division that same year.

Achievements

DOUBLES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

2016: Mixed Doubles - Silver Medal

2016: Women's Doubles - Bronze Medal

2017: Women's Doubles - Bronze Medal

2022: Women's Doubles - Gold Medal

2022 Mixed Doubles - Gold Medal

ASIAN GAMES

2010- Bronze Medal - Team

2014- Bronze Medal - Women's Singles

2014- Silver Medal- Team

2018- Bronze Medal - Women's Singles

COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Since we are concentrating on this competition, Dipika Pallikal Karthik has a strong history at these games, having won numerous medals. In 2022, she is in the best shape of her life, having already won two gold medals at the World Doubles Championship, and she plans to add two more at the Commonwealth Games.

2014: Women's Doubles Gold Medal

2018: Women's Doubles Silver Medal

2018: Mixed Doubles Silver Medal

2012, she received the Arjuna Award; in 2014, she received the Padma Shri.

Controversies

Cricket has become so popular in our nation that it surpassed all other sports except squash. The convenience of having everything set up for them, from their training to the accommodations abroad, is not available to squash players in our nation; instead, they must make all their arrangements. Additionally, despite exerting comparable effort as men, female athletes must make do with a modest winning percentage in national competitions. Since she was a young child, Dipika has been upset over this, and as an adult, she also had a breakdown with the federation. She initiated a movement to promote squash women to the same level as males and was outspoken in her criticism of the squash women's low winning amounts. She was successful in her appeal, and ladies from the 2016 championships received an equivalent reward. Ultimately, Dipika emerged as the first prize recipient as she overcame Joshna Chinappa, her partner, in the 2016 championship final.

Despite her attitude toward her work, Dipika Pallikal Karthik has all the traits women have long been acknowledged to possess. She enjoys cooking and takes excellent care of her home. She loves dogs and has never lived without one. When she has free time, she likes to spend it at home with her mother rather than frequently attending parties. Even though she almost made Egypt her second home, she was still much in love with Chennai and India. She still enjoys returning to Chennai and spending the night there in her bed.

She intends to represent the nation and win additional medals at the CWG and Asian Games in 2018 and 2022, respectively. We believe that with time, her perseverance and hard work will enable her to scale new heights and become the world's most valuable person.

FAQs

Who is Dipika Pallikal Karthik?

Indian professional squash player Dipika Pallikal Karthik has received praise for her accomplishments in the sport on both a national and international scale.

What major achievements has Dipika Pallikal Karthik made?

Among Dipika Pallikal Karthik's many noteworthy accomplishments is her status as the first Indian player to reach the top 10 of the PSA Women's World Squash rankings. Additionally, she has won numerous medals at renowned competitions, including the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.

Who is the husband of Dipika Pallikal Karthik?

Dinesh Karthik is the spouse of Dipika Pallikal Karthik. He is a well-known Indian cricketer representing his country as a wicket-keeper and batter. Dinesh Karthik has also led several Indian domestic cricket teams.

When did Dipika Pallikal Karthik get married?

On August 18, 2015, Dipika Pallikal Karthik wed Dinesh Karthik. They married in Chennai, India, before their family members, friends, and fellow athletes.