Dubai: The tears didn’t come immediately. But when they did, Tanisha Crasto was alone in her room, the silence louder than the roars she was used to hearing from courtside. Her Olympic dream, one she had carried with her from childhood, had ended not with a bang, but with heartbreak..Dubai’s badminton star Tanisha Crasto has learnt to face adversity with a smile.“After the Olympics, I was mentally down,” Tanisha told Gulf News. “There was a lot of pressure. Everybody expected a medal from me. I just wasn’t able to give my best.”.The 21-year-old, who lived and took her baby steps in badminton in Dubai, had shouldered the hopes of many. But when the results didn’t go her way, it wasn’t just public expectation that weighed heavy — it was her own..Support helps her find her way back.“I kept asking myself: ‘What did I do wrong? Why did this happen?’” she says. “And for a while, I didn’t have the answers.”.It was her lowest point. But it wasn’t the end..Tanisha found strength in the people around her — her family, her coaches, and teammates who refused to let her slip away. Mentor Pullela Gopichand stood by her through the silence. Slowly, the spark returned..“Sometimes you just need someone to believe in you when you don’t believe in yourself,” she says. “I realised I had to get back up. Not for others, but for me.”.At the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, China, that resolve was on full display..In the women’s doubles, Tanisha and Shruti Mishra pulled off gritty wins over Denmark’s Natasja Anthonisen and Alexandra Bøje, and England’s Lizzie Tolman and Estelle van Leeuwen. And in mixed doubles, she paired with Dhruv Kapila to stun Indonesia’s Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja — an established pair ranked well above them..Dubai-born Tanisha and Dhruv enter Badminton Asia Championships doubles quarter-finals.India may have bowed out early from the team competition, managing just one victory against England. But Tanisha left Xiamen with something far more valuable: belief..A point to prove for myself.“Playing for India is always special,” she says. “But this time, it felt different. I had a point to prove — to myself more than anyone else. I wanted to show that I’m still here. I’ve come back stronger.”.Tanisha, who celebrated her 22nd birthday in Dubai recently, knows the road ahead is long. But now, she walks it with renewed clarity..Her target is clear: a place in the world’s Top 10 by the end of the year. It’s ambitious, but not far-fetched for a player who competes in both mixed and women’s doubles — and has the heart to match her hustle..Journey begins now.“I know it won’t be easy. But I’ve learnt to enjoy the hard parts too,” she says. “That’s where the growth happens. That’s where you discover who you really are.”.She pauses, then smiles — a quiet, knowing smile..“I’ve been through a lot emotionally. But I’ve also grown from it. My journey has just started.”