S Kannan in Hangzhou
Zeeshan Ali seemed hassled. At the tennis centre in Hangzhou for the Asian Games, the deep creases on his forehead suggested that all was not well with Indian tennis.
On a day when Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan won silver (or lost gold), there was not too much to cheer about. Yes, winning a silver medal is good for the nations’ medal tally, but the recent story of Indian tennis is filled with woes.
Zeeshan comes from an age and era when his father, the late Akhtar Ali, was the cerebral coach. In minutes, he could find faults in the technique of a player. Maybe that was why the legendary Vijay Amitraj had hired Akhtar as his personal coach.
Akhtar had taught Zeeshan the fundamentals well, and the Kolkatan rose to around the 125-mark in the ATP rankings. He also racked up a number of grass-court National titles, at Calcutta’s own South Club or in New Delhi, with a brand of tennis that was often a delight to watch.
Today, when one writes on Indian tennis, it’s a sad state of affairs. Yes, there are more doubles stars than ever before. It is not something to be proud of, because there are NO singles players at all. One Sumit Nagal struggling for sponsors and crying makes for good copy. But then, how far can Sumit go, since he is starved of funds and not growing younger either?
If you look at the current bunch in Hangzhou, there are no singles exponents. They are almost extinct, like the dinosaurs. Zeeshan, usually the reticent type, opened up to this writer. “It is worrying, really,” he said. “Unless we find 13 or 14-year-old players and start grooming them, we cannot do well. That’s what other Asian countries are doing. If you want singles results, forget the next Asian Games. The kids will need at least seven or eight years grooming.” Zeeshan has been part of the tennis system for over four decades. He burst on to the scene before Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. From being a solid player to turning coach, the wheel has come full circle. But the big question is: where are the singles players? Once upon a time, India had singles players who won medals at the Asian Games. The names of Leander, Mahesh, Gaurav Natekar and others come readily to the mind. Not to forget, Somdev Devvarman won gold at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.
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In the women’s section, the void created after Sania Mirza retired this year is glaring. Sania was a committed player and her passion for playing for India was unmatched. Sadly, Ankita Raina, who was hyped as her replacement, has not come good. “Ankita is going to be 30, what are you expecting from her?” asked Zeeshan. On Friday, Zeeshan was certainly upset.
Where does the problem begin and how does it get solved? Frankly speaking, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) has never cared about its sport or players. Indian tennis was an enigma, with one or two standout players emerging in each generation. Leander Paes won an Olympic bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in 1996, and was inducted into the Tennis Hall Of Fame recently – 27 years later.
Players like Sania and Rohan Bopanna, the ageless wonder, have slogged for the nation in the Olympics and the Grand Slams. However, no singles player in a country with a population of over a billion is bizarre. Every mainstream sport in India has been able to do something of note. Not tennis.
People talk of a system in sport. Mahendra Singh Dhoni always talked of the process in cricket. P Gopichand pioneered the revolution in badminton. Table tennis has worked hard and there was even a medal in squash on Friday.
The tennis bosses have done nothing for players. In the old days, when RK Khanna was the boss, he treated players asking for Davis Cup prize money as beggars. Ask Ramesh Krishnan or Leander, and they will tell you stories.
Anil Khanna, who was AITA boss till a while ago, did well for himself as a tennis administrator. No denying that. Yet, in terms of producing players or building good academies, the AITA failed. Repeatedly. Dr Anil Jain, the current AITA president, is clueless about tennis. He may have political connections, but that does not do India’s tennis any good. Recently, he contested the elections to the International Tennis Federation, and was wiped out.
India should worry more about players and nurturing talent than producing officials. Why can’t the AITA ask former players like Leander, Mahesh and Sania to come on board? Why does Rohit Rajpal continue as Davis Cup non-playing captain after doing a lousy job and bringing India down? If Rohan is ready for the captain’s mantle, hand it over to him.
The names of Naresh Kumar, Jaidip Mukherjea, Ramesh Krishnan and Anand Amritraj come to the mind, as they treated the Davis Cup captaincy with utmost seriousness. Today, we see a failure on all fronts. The cookie has crumbled in the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. This is about team tennis events.
For a country with mega cities boasting several tennis centres, why has tennis come a cropper? The AITA must answer as the national sports federation. Now.
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