Jaidip Mukerjea’s picturesque tennis academy at Salt Lake recently held a $15,000 ITF Futures tournament for men. The Futures tournaments are at the second-lowest rung of the tennis ladder, which disappears into the clouds bulging with millions in prize money.
While rich parents can launch their offspring from high platforms, aspirants for tennis glory have to fight hard every inch of the way. There is no magic ‘beanstalk’ outside the window.
Watching from close quarters, I was amazed at the high standard of play, the physical stature and strength of the competitors and the intensity of the matches. Two Indians, Vivek Shokeen and Vishnu Vardhan, made it to the quarter finals.
They played well, have good games but seem to lack the physical strength and intensity of most of the foreigners who came from nine countries.
At no point did it seem probable that any of the 15 Indians in the main draw of 32 had a chance to win the title. Even at the lowest level, which is the $10,000 satellite tournaments, our boys have failed to make an impact.
This is the reality of Indian tennis. Somdev Dev Varman is a barely discernible blip on the empty Indian tennis screen while Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are melting away into the horizon.
It is crystal clear that the talent thrown up by the Indian system is not good enough to get even a toehold in the lowest rung of the international system.
After the academies and freelance coaches have done their job, our youngsters need to sharpen their skills by competitive tournament play. I have seen in the past that young hopefuls with perfect strokes in practice totally fold up in tournament play.
Playing under competitive pressure against higher-ranked players is a necessary ingredient for success. The standards of modern tennis are breathtaking. Pinpoint accuracy, robotic consistency, great physical strength, stamina, quicksilver movement and lightning reflexes at times seem almost supernormal.
What needs to be done immediately is to revive the Indian circuit with a more than substantial increase in prize money.
The Rs 32,000 prize money for winning the National Championships held in Calcutta a year or so ago is a disgraceful amount.
There is a crying need to change the mindset of the burgeoning middle class. Parents must perceive professional tennis as a respectable vocation with the possibility of big money if their children can make it.
The prize money for all participants and early losers should take care of their travel and boarding expenses and some extra for incidentals and pocket money. A parent invariably accompanies 12 to 14 year olds.
At a recent junior tournament it was heartbreaking to see parents fish out carefully folded notes from their wallets to pay entrance fees and other charges. The annual player registration fee of Rs.3,000 is yet another crippling blow.
Without registration and the payment of Rs.3,000 even a junior is not eligible to play in an official tournament. Specially for ball boys, some of whom are very talented, this is an insurmountable hurdle.
About three years ago when I was in Chennai I was told that there were 700-800 entries for a local ball boys tournament. Surely there is a wealth of talent lurking in their ranks and more important — hunger which is a major driving force.
Given the facilities, we are sure to find someone with exceptional talent coupled with slumdog luck.
