No magic to make champions

He also said that players selected at the lower level (10 to 14) train at various regional centres spread all over the country. There is inter-centre competition, which gives the budding players to assess their progress and the coaches revaluated the training.

There are also six national centres in France, where usually all top pros of the country go through their paces. “All the players above the age of 18 play a lot of tennis on the pro circuit, which further hone their skill,” said he.

Thierry played a Satellite tournament on Indian soil in the early eighties, and won the Pune leg. However, he is on a different mission this time. “It is a friendly tour. I am feeling very relaxed as there is no pre-match tension”.

Thierry was full of praise for the Indian duo – Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. “Both the players are doing excellent job on the circuit. They have given a facelift to men’s tennis in India.” But in the same breath, he, however, said that Indian women have a long way to go. “Indian women don’t play tennis on the pro circuit, that is why they are unable to come in the top 100”.

Meanwhile, the tennis racquets were swung, the courts were given a facelift. For once the atmosphere was charged up but the competition between the two clubs International Lawn tennis Club de France and Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA), were of a different nature as members of both the sides were playing friendly matches.

“They are really fit. Look the oldy is hitting hard,” whisphered one of the CLTA members, who pulled up his racquet to do some practice to hit hard his opponent.

But same was not felt on the other side. “I played my normal game,” said one of the women players of the French side.

Members of both the side also exchanged pleasantries. The French also played friendly matches at Delhi against members of the Gymkhana Club and Delhi Lawn Tennis Association.

Left handed young Sunil Kumar partnered former Asian junior player and now CLTA coach Mayank Capoor against a French pair. CLTA chairman Rajan Kashyap and Ram Shekhar were among those Chandigarh players who exchanged strokes against the visitors. Bhaskar Chatterjee, a keen tennis lover, witnessed the matches.

They went for sightseeing later.

From Chandigarh, the visitors will go to Agra to see the Eighth Wonder of the world.

Danielle Bouteleux, Isabelle Bouteleux, Marie-Jeanne Gallard, Christopher Bernelle and Jean-Michel Hardouin are among the members of the visiting team.

College athletics
The two-day 47th Annual Athletic Meet of A S College, Khanna began at the college premisses today.