Most stories in Indian sport begin with a victory.
Alex Tharakan’s begins with a pause.
A pause before a young athlete steps on court.
A pause before a hard conversation about pressure.
A pause before a coach decides what kind of mentor he wants to be.
Because for Alex, performance is not just a matter of speed, power, or precision.
It is a negotiation between the mind and the moment — a negotiation that most athletes are never taught how to win.
This is the world Alex opens up in his journey: a world where the mental game isn’t an add-on to training.
It is the training.

The Early Courts That Shaped His Philosophy
Alex didn’t start in elite European-style sports labs, surrounded by technology and analytics dashboards.
He started where most Indian stories begin:
Small courts.
Batches full of dreamers.
Parents trying to understand a path they had never walked.
Coaches stretched across 5 roles—trainer, psychologist, manager, motivator, guardian.
In those early years, Alex noticed something uncomfortable:
Talent wasn’t the problem.
Consistency wasn’t the problem.
Hard work definitely wasn’t the problem.
The problem was silence.
Silence around fear.
Silence around pressure.
Silence around loneliness.
Silence around what happens inside an athlete.
“Everyone is discussing forehand technique and speed ladders,” he says.
“Very few are discussing the internal battle an athlete fights before they even play the first point.”
It was in these small, imperfect courts that Alex decided he wouldn’t be the coach who only fixes strokes.
He would be the coach who builds people, not just players.
Seeing the Athlete Beneath the Athlete
In the video, Alex emphasizes a truth all high-performance coaches eventually learn:
“Resilience isn’t built in the match. It’s built in the conversations no one sees.”
Alex became obsessed with understanding the inner world of athletes.
He noticed how many were held back not by skill gaps but by emotional loads:
Anxiety before selection trials


Fear of disappointing parents


Pressure from expectations


Self-doubt after a bad loss


The quiet insecurity of comparing themselves to others


He learned that athletes often walk into training with two bags—
one with shoes and racquets, and another filled with emotions they’ve never unpacked.
So he built his sessions differently.

More listening.
More dialogue.
More focus on helping athletes understand why they break down under pressure, not just how to hit harder.
Alex believes this is the missing dimension in Indian sport.
“We don’t need more shouting. We need more understanding.”

The Missing Middle: Pathways, Not Just Passion
Across India, thousands of promising athletes disappear between ages 14 and 22.
Alex calls this “the invisible dropout zone.”
Why?
Because passion gets them to sport.
Skill gets them noticed.
But pathways keep them going.
In conversations, Alex breaks this down into three crucial phases:
1. The Confusion Years (11–16)
Kids want to chase sport.
Parents want safety.
No one knows what is realistic.
2. The Commitment Years (16–20)
Sports vs. academics.
Financial pressure.
Social pressure.
Identity pressure.
3. The Conversion Years (20+)
Few get access to sports science, recovery, competition exposure, and structured development.
“India has the talent,” he says.
“What we lack is a roadmap.”
This insight has become central to his mission:
build systems so athletes don’t have to guess what comes next.

Blending Science With Soul
Alex is not anti-technology, nor is he blindly pro-data.
He is part of a newer generation of Indian coaches who believe:
Data should clarify, not confuse


Video analysis should build awareness, not anxiety


Science should support intuition, not replace it


He uses analytics not as a scoreboard but as a mirror — something that helps athletes understand patterns in their game and emotional responses.
But he’s equally clear about one thing:
“If a coach cannot emotionally connect with the athlete, no amount of data will save the relationship.”
This is where Alex stands out.
He blends sports psychology, communication, structured training, and a human-first approach into a single coaching philosophy.
Why India’s Rise in Sport Will Be Engineered, Not Discovered
Alex is brutally honest about Indian sport:
We celebrate talent.
We reward moments.
We obsess over medals.
But we invest very little in the process that creates them.
He believes India will rise when:
Coaches are respected, trained, and empowered


Parents understand the journey, not just results


Academies focus on long-term athlete development


Athletes receive emotional and mental conditioning early


Technology platforms solve real developmental problems, not just fan engagement


This is where platforms like AthleteFirst matter.
They don’t just tell stories.
They change conversations.
A Coach Who Is Building Something He May Never See
What makes Alex rare is this:
He isn’t building for next year.
He is building for the next generation.
He wants a future where:
India is known for systems, not miracles


Athletes grow with clarity, not confusion


Coaches are architects, not afterthoughts


Mental health is normalized in every academy


Talent is discovered and nurtured


His goal isn’t medals.
It’s infrastructure — emotional, educational, scientific, and structural.
In a world obsessed with quick results, Alex is playing the long game.
The Legacy He’s Quietly Creating
When the cameras turn off, when the applause fades, when the selection lists are printed…
What stays is the culture.
Alex is building that culture.
A culture of resilience.
A culture of honesty.
A culture where athletes feel safe, seen, and supported.
A culture where performance is not an accident, but a design.
And as he often says:
“India will rise in sport when we learn to build what we may never personally benefit from.”

Alex is one of those builders.
And because of people like him, the next chapter of Indian sport may finally look different —
not just brighter, but deeper, stronger, and built to last.