Let me make a confession first. I haven’t watched much of Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, and did not know about her till her recent run at the Mumbai Open. Only when she started her matches did I start to follow more closely. My curiosity was first aroused when a friend, Niladhri Chatterjee, whose daughter and mine went to Kindergarten together, wrote to me, “Dada, get Maaya to the Conclave. She is the next big thing in Indian tennis.”
His daughter is doing extremely well at the sub-junior level and I knew that he follows the sport closely. That was when I started doing my due diligence, and was told that Sunder Iyer, the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) secretary, has supported Maaya and she has also received a scholarship at the Rafa Nadal academy. My interest finally peaked when I watched a few videos of her shots and read Rohan Bopanna’s tweet, which made it clear that she is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise gloom-and-doom scenario for Indian tennis.
For the record, Maaya’s progress from a wild-card entrant to the semi-final in Mumbai was stellar. At her age, some of the shots stood out, and clearly there is a lot of hope and optimism around her. That she has talent is now known. How the talent is honed will determine how far she is able to travel in the future. And maybe, that’s where the role of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) becomes important.
AITA, as it is known, has not been in good shape of late, and 2024 was particularly bad. The 0-5 Davis Cup loss to a very modest Sweden team brought every acrimony out into the open. With the AITA openly accusing players of being mercenaries and not giving national duty the importance it deserves, the players came forward against the federation and exposed all its ills.
Mahesh Bhupathi, who has not had the best relations with the AITA, was most vocal. “Sumit Nagal had a medical issue,” Bhupathi has said then. “He did not play a tournament in China as well. And to see him being accused of not wanting to play for India is plain unfair. And this has been going on for years. Unless things change, there is one loser and that’s Indian tennis.”
That’s what brings me to Maaya. She needs to be cared for, protected and given the support she needs to progress to the next level. Post-Sania Mirza, there has been a void, and finally we have someone of promise. And that’s why the AITA needs to step up.
The AITA and Indian tennis have an opportunity with Maaya. A chance to do something good and get the system right. Create the right support system, synergy between the player and the federation, and get former players involved in making a difference to the sport. That way, Indian tennis can get its mojo back. But if things don’t improve and continue the way they are, we can say that Maaya too will not go much further.
Except for Nagal, there is little else to look forward to at the moment. Bopanna too is in the twilight of his career. And if we dig deep, there is not much to expect from the next few years. That’s where Maaya offers promise. But only if there is systemic change can we see her do justice to her undoubted talent. The faster we realise this, the better.