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Journalism of Courage
MUMBAI, MARCH 11: “The poorer players are, the better chance they will make it big.” Prophetic words that came from International Tennis Federation’s visiting coach, Miguel Crespo.
Crespo and development officer for Asia, Suresh Menon of Malaysia, were in the city to conduct a Level 1 certificate course for Indian coaches, the first ITF venture of its kind. Forty-two coaches from across the country attended the 9-day session.
“Tennis has unfortunately remained the domain of the elite. Not just in India but in countries worldwide,” said Menon, spelling out why India’s tennis base is not strong enough.
“The club culture should be done away with. If there is a promising youngster who cannot afford the facility, then a club should help him,” said Menon. “Even in England, they are going out of the way to accommodate underprivileged youngsters,” he explained.
If the poor are initiated into the game, it will only be beneficial for the country, Crespo said. “A child whose parents are well off knows that if he fails in tennis, he has opportunities in other fields. But if the boy is poor, he will make it as he will know it is his only chance.”
During the first three days in the nine-day course that concluded yesterday coaches were initiated to mini tennis — introducing the game to kindergarten children. “It involves a plastic or wooden bat and a sponge ball, which children are given to play. This is to develop interest in them to take up the game. It has proved very successful in many countries,” said Crespo.
He felt the introduction of mini tennis in schools could be the turning point of the country’s fortune. “Morocco is a shining example,” Menon said.
Over the next six days, the coaches took in new techniques, rules and the fundamentals of wheel-chair tennis. The coaches then took an exam. Nine out of the 42 were then identified for a tutors coach. The nine are S Narendranath, Hemant Bendre, Manoj Vaidya, Rama Rao, Mayur Vasant (all Maharashtra), Sunil Yajman (Karnataka), Kanwaljit Singh (Chandigarh), Gajendra Singh (Delhi), Arul (TN) and Sunny Babu Dora (AP).
If the All India Tennis Association conducts at least seven to eight clinics in the country with the help of the three Indian observers (Gaurav Natekar, Narsingh and Ramarao) by the end of the year, the ITF representatives can conduct the Level 2 next year.
Crespo and Menon felt India had the talent for bigger achievements, it needed to be nurtured and developed. Coaching plays an important role. They felt India did not have qualified coaches; whoever was there came out of the NIS programme. This ITF venture can go a long way in setting the standards.
