Indian tennis great Vijay Amritraj feels the country should look into ways to identify talented tennis player’s right from 15 years of age and must straightaway start nurturing them.
The former Davis Cup captain believes the reason for India’s poor showing in the singles department in the world of tennis is their inability to have players in top 50 and 100.
The only way he feels the situation can change if the talented players are hunted from their younger age.
“There is enough potential in the country, but they have to be properly identified,” said the 61-year-old. “The talent hunt should start from 15 years. And with the right kind of programme, these players can break into the top-100 or top-50.”
Vijay, a world renowned commentator, says it is must for India to have players in the top-100 rankings.
“If we are to play in World Group in the Davis Cup it is essential to have players within 100 rankings. If we look at other teams in the World Group, they all have their main players ranked in top-50 and the substitutes are also within top-100,” he explained.
“We (India) have good doubles players, but there is only one doubles match in Davis Cup, while four singles games will be played. So we should have players within the 100 rankings to stand a chance.”
Amritraj, the chairman and managing director of Second Serve Pvt. ltd (which owns and operate CTl), believes Champions Tennis league, which was started last year, will help in the development of young players.
Apart from a WTA player, ATP player, Indian male representative and a legend (a retired Grand Slam winner or a Grand Slam finalist), two junior players (a boy and a girl) will also be in every team throughout the league.
Even though these juniors do not get to play any matches in the league, Vijay feels the youngsters spending time along with the greats of the sport will benefit their development massively.
“These young players get to spend two weeks with the team. They practice with some of the finest players in the world, travel with them, get to see their diet routine and like. So it is a fantastic learning curve for them as they can learn a lot from them,” he said.
Also he added that the goal of CTl is not just to concentrate on the big cities but also focus on the second tier and third tier cities.
“CTl gives an opportunity for people from various cities to experience the beauty of tennis. This will also encourage the youngsters from that region to succeed in the sport. Hence, it is essential to ensure that the league not just focus on the major cities but reaches all parts of the country,” said the former player.
Among the players to miss the CTl for the upcoming season, Indian doubles sensation leander Paes stands out. last year he represented Punjab Marshalls in CTl, but this season he opted out. When asked about it, Vijay replied “Some people have their own choice and choose it to their convenience.”
This year the ATP tour finals concludes on November 22 and CTl starts the very next day. When asked if the lack of time between these events is the reason for no players from the tour finals to feature in CTl, Amritraj said: “The calendar is also one reason and at the same time we should not forget the huge amount of money needed to get the players from top rankings.”
From last year, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Hyderabad teams remain in contention, while Bangalore, Pune and Delhi have pulled out. “At the beginning there are always going to be some hiccups, which is normal. But we don’t have to worry since there are enough cities interested to come in. These situations continue till we settle down,” he added.
“It is the owner’s personal choice not to continue this year. They don’t have to give us any major explanation,” said Vijay, when asked about the reason for the three cities dropping out this year.
Nagpur and Raipur have filled two of the three vacant spots, while the sixth city is yet to be named. “Variety of issues determines the final city. We have to check whether any cricket matches take place at that time. If so the hotels might be full. Also we need to check about the airplane connections to make it easier for the players to travel in and out of the city,” he concluded.