Bhutan has recorded a historic feat in international tennis. Thirty-six-year-old tennis player Pema Norbu has become the first Bhutanese athlete to win an ITF World Masters Tennis Tour, claiming the Men’s Singles Over-35 title in Thailand recently. The win placed Pema at 174 in the world ranking in his age category, out of more than 35,000 registered ITF Masters players.
Pema Norbu from Trashigang began playing tennis in 2001 at the age of 12. As a junior, he represented Bhutan in the U14, U16, and U18 international categories from 2002 to 2007 and became a National Junior Champion. He then stepped away from the sport due to personal challenges.
He made a strong comeback in 2019, winning the Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel National Open Championship and earning a bronze medal at the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal. His progress slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but he returned to international competition and represented Bhutan in the Davis Cup from 2022 to 2024.
In August this year, Pema entered the global stage of the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour, starting with the MT100 tournament in Assam with a world ranking of zero. Competing in both singles and doubles in the 35-plus category, he reached the singles final and the doubles semifinals, earning Bhutan’s first-ever ITF world ranking, placing him at 1208 in the 35-plus category.
His performance continued to rise. At the MT200 tournament in Jamshedpur, India, he finished as runner-up in both singles and doubles, boosting his ranking to 662. Later in Thailand, during the MT400 tournament in Pattaya, he made it to the semifinals and climbed further to 488.
From 9th to 14th of this month, Pema returned to Pattaya for another MT400 tournament, where he produced his strongest performance. He competed alongside 11 players from nine countries, including Bhutan, India, Belgium, Ukraine, China, Canada, Thailand, Iran, and Colombia. Pema defeated opponents from India in the quarterfinals, Ukraine in the semifinals, and China in the finals to clinch the championship title.
Pema Norbu said, “I am very happy to have you know for the first time become a champion at an international level. It has always been my dream to win National and International tournaments, and I had to really work hard to get where I am today, and I am grateful for all the struggles.”
The victory earned him 660 points and lifted him to 174 in the world ranking. Pema now aims to compete in bigger tournaments despite the financial challenges he faces.
He said, “It is quite difficult to perform well in international tournaments when you don’t have financial support from the financial institutions or if you don’t have any sponsors. So you have to pay for everything yourself, starting from the airfare, the hotels, everything you have to spend from your own pocket, that is quite difficult, and on top of that, you have to train, you have no coaches.”
He trains about two hours a day during the off-season and up to four hours when preparing for competitions.
The ITF World Tennis Masters tour is considered the pinnacle competition of the global Masters Tour, featuring players aged 30 to over 90, providing a world-stage platform for both team and individual play.
With this breakthrough on the international stage, Pema Norbu has not only lifted Bhutan’s tennis profile but also inspired a new generation of aspiring players back home.
Karma Wangdi
