Tags:
Journalism of Courage
CHANDIGARH, Sept 14: With a view to making the Junior Development Programme of the All India Tennis Association most effective, chairman of the scheme Ramesh Krishnan has proposed that 8220;International Tennis Federation8217;s player tournament participation should be considered as a yardstick and the AITA should ensure that the juniors get the prescribed number of matches8221;.
The former Davis Cupper, who was here to impart a seven-day special training for the selected boys and girls from the Tournament Group8217; of the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association8217;s scheme, said 8220;This is going to be of a paramount importance for this scheme to succeed8221;.
Giving details, the former Davis Cupper said 8220;For instance, by January 1, 1999, the AITA should announce the schedule for the second half of 1999 and should ensure that tournaments are conducted. To start with, the scheme for the first three months of 1999 to be finalised by October 1 and schedule for the next three months by November 18221;.
Under the JDP, 25 players have been selected to be trained at Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai. The training would start from October 1 and the selected players will be invited to a two-week coaching camp to be conducted by the AITA before the end of this year. 8220;In this camp, we will evaluate all the trainees and a report will be sent to their respective centres,8221; said Ramesh.
As the venue for the all-India camp is yet to be decided, Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association chairman Rajan Kashyap has offered to play host. Ramesh was impressed with the facilities available at the CLTA Sports Complex in Sector 10. All types of courts are available in CLTA Complex. Chandigarh Club, Lake Club and Panjab University are the other important venues where grass courts are available. Besides these, schools, colleges, clubs 8212; including the Press Club 8212; and community centres all over Chandigarh provide playing facilities to the tennis players. The City Beautiful is studded with more than 150 courts.
Explaining the training schedule, Ramesh in his proposal, has said, 8220;Physical fitness tests will be conducted at the all-India camp using parametres prescribed by the ITF. Thereafter, the coaches at the respective centres should provide a quarterly report card on the trainees to the AITA. The camp can be conducted twice a year8221;.
8220;The aim of the JDP is to develop these boys and girls to a sufficiently high level skill in tennis to enable them to participate effectively in international tennis8221;.
On the financial aspect, the proposal says, 8220;The AITA will have to specify the funds earmarked for the JDP. On the basis of availability of funds, we can decide on what teams to send to which competitions and work out all their details8221;.
Regarding the number of trainees, Ramesh Krishnan said, 8220;We are starting with 25 trainees. It is by no means restricted to them. There would be a large number of boys and girls who do not fall within the purview of the JDP and would be training independently. Deserving among them will certainly be assisted in their development8221;.
8220;ITF has a wealth of knowledge in these areas and we must invite somebody from them to come and visit us and have a dialogue with them on a regular basis,8221; says the proposal.
Ramesh regrets that 8220;we have not been giving sufficient importance to doubles events at our tournaments and this is not a good sign. Let us not forget that in Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, we have one of the top doubles teams in the world.8221; The Amritraj Brothers 8211; Vijay and Anand 8211; made a formidable pair in the world in their heyday.
The AITA should also encourage the Indian children like Mahesh Bhupathi, who are living abroad to represent India and prove their mettle in the Indian tournaments also.
According to the Ramesh tournament planner, a player in the age-group of 12 to 15, should play 60 to 70 singles and 25 to 45 doubles matches in a year. Seventy to eighty singles and 30 to 50 doubles matches in a year should be the target for a player in the 15-17 age-group. For 17-18 years, a player should take part in 80 to 90 singles and 35 to 55 doubles matches. For above 19 years, a player should compete in 80 to 90 singles and doubles matches. For players above 21 years, a players should compete in 80 to 90 singles and doubles matches in the Challenger WTA/ATP Tour, Grand Slam and Davis Cup/Fed Cup. Ramesh was clear that exhibition matches should not be counted.
In determining which tournaments the player should play, the coach should ensure that a 2:1 win:loss ratio is maintained. Thereafter, if a player is playing ITF Men8217;s/Women8217;s Circuit events and losing in the first round, they should consider going back and playing more junior events for a short period in order to to win more matches.
Ramesh Krishnan has also stressed the need for more, regular clinics for the coaches.
