It was a revelation watching Tony Roche, all of 80 years, train a bunch of youngsters at the Jaidip Mukerjea Tennis Academy on a slightly overcast Monday afternoon. A revelation of how intense his commitment and love are for a sport that gave him worldwide fame.
Roche is in the city at the request of long-time friend Mukerjea, who will be organising the 10th edition of the Premjit Lall Invitational Tennis Tournament at his academy on Wednesday and Thursday. Roche is the chief guest and mentor of the tournament.
Having coached players like Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt, Roche still feels great satisfaction in mentoring youngsters. And he can be quite the taskmaster.
Talking about the top echelon of world tennis, Roche said he was enjoying the latest rivalry, between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. “They are exceptional players. The tennis they play, and the manner in which they conduct themselves on and off the court, I think that’s tremendous. They can inspire a generation,” he told The Telegraph.
Asked if they can overshadow the Big Three — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — in the future, he said: “It is possible. They definitely have very big shoes to fill, but they have already shown what they are capable of. If they can take care of themselves and manage injuries, then anything is possible. But tennis can be tough.
“The longevity that the Big Three had showed would not be easy to match.”
Roche believes men’s tennis is in good hands. “Apart from Alcaraz and Sinner, you also have players like Ben Shelton, Jack Draper, Joao Fonseca and Alex de Minaur. They too have the potential. I feel tennis is in good hands,” he added.
A legend in the Davis Cup circuit — part of the champion Australia squad in 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1977 — Roche felt the recent changes in
the format were not really working.
“You see, I am a traditionalist. I believed in the old format and was not too happy with the changes. I also understood that the Davis Cup needed to change. However, I am not sure the change has worked,” he said.
Roche felt top players were avoiding the Davis Cup mainly because the tennis calendar is too demanding. “I am sure they will look into it since the players are complaining about the pressure. Something has to be done,” he said.
Roche compared the void of world-class players in the current Indian scenario with the situation in Australia. “I think both countries are in a similar crisis. We have talent, but somehow we are not producing top-10 players with regularity,” he opined.
Asked how he felt about holding the camp here, he said: “I love coming here. And academies like Jaidip’s can put Indian tennis back on the right track. I see no reason why India cannot again produce top-class players like Jaidip, the Amritrajs, the Krishnans, Leander (Paes), Bhupathi (Mahesh) or Sania (Mirza).
“With India’s population and talent, I believe it can be done. The right kind of coaching and support is the need of the hour. I would love to help Indian tennis reach the height it deserves.”