Gurugram: 25-yr-old tennis star’s academy where she coached 20 players set to shut down

25-year-old tennis coach Radhika Yadav was tragically killed by her father, leaving her students heartbroken and the future of her academy uncertain.

The tragic killing of 25-year-old tennis player Radhika Yadav, who ran an academy in Gurugram’s Sector 56, has left her 20 young students heartbroken. Most of these players looked to her for guidance as they competed in national-level tournaments.

Radhika Yadav’s tennis academy in Gurugram Sector 56 on Saturday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The academy, which has two courts where eight players could practice together and operated from a rented facility, is expected to shut down soon. Police said that Radhika’s father, Deepak Yadav, paid up to ₹6 lakh per month in rent for the premises where she ran the academy.

Vijay Yadav, one of the players, said, “The classes were held in the morning. Radhika gave personal attention to every player to improve their game. She closely observed and helped us,” he said. Yash Singh, another player, said, “She made us practice rigorously and knew our games very well. She often arrived at the court before any of us.”

Sonu Sisodiya, the ground coordinator, said Radhika did not seem tense in recent days. “She arrived on time every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, made the players practice for up to two hours, and then left. Her mother or father usually dropped her off at the academy,” he said.

Sisodiya added that Radhika had messaged to say she would arrive on Friday morning to coach the players. “However, on Thursday evening, we learned that her father had killed her,” he said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Sadar) Yashwant Yadav said that when Deepak asked his daughter to shut down the academy two weeks ago, she refused, saying that even if she couldn’t play, she could at least train others.

“She began coaching young players after a shoulder injury last year prevented her from playing professionally,” he said, adding that Deepak spent more than ₹30 lakh on her treatment, but she still couldn’t return to professional sports.

“During the investigation, we learned that Radhika had asked her father to ignore villagers’ gossip about her academy and earnings—something Deepak failed to understand,” Yadav said.