CTL: Why Indian players must make the most of the platform

Somdev Devvarman will spearhead Punjab Marshalls’ challenge in the Champions Tennis League.

Top-notch global tennis and Indian tennis have been walking on different paths over the years. Save for the ATP Chennai Open (held at the start of the year), which featured some star players, the country’s tennis fans have been bereft of watching the big names of world tennis.

The international game in India is all about hordes of ITF Futures held across the country and a handful of ATP Challengers. Over time, these tournaments have struggled to grab audience numbers, despite the best efforts of the organisers.

The current crop of players has been striving hard to rejuvenate Indian tennis which enjoys a rich legacy – illustrious names like Premjit Lal, Jaideep Mukherjee, Ramanathan Krishnan, Vijay Amritraj and Ramesh Krishnan are well documented.

The CTL treatment

We all want Indian tennis to thrive and it seems that the Champions Tennis League could be just what the doctor ordered.

Most of these Indian players, barring the country’s top singles player Somdev Devvarman, do not get to play in the ATP Tourneys, and often feature in the ITF Futures and the ATP Challengers. It is believed that playing the best players helps to improve one’s game and this is where the Indian youngsters would hope to benefit the most from the CTL, rubbing shoulders with the “who’s who” of world tennis.

Ranking is one thing that matters in deciding which kind of tournament and player one will be up against. The Champions Tennis League can help the Indian players to brush up their skills by not just playing alongside some big names, but also interacting and even seeking pointers from these leading lights to take their game forward. The CTL can instill tons of self-belief in homegrown talent in their march to break into the top-100 and beyond!

At present, Somdev Devvarman, who was in the top-100 at the start of the year (at 97), is now placed at 141 and is turning out for Punjab Marshalls in the CTL.

Rise of Ramkumar Ramanathan

Ramkumar Ramanathan has been one of India’s most improved players in 2014

Bangalore Raptors’ Ramkumar Ramanathan seems to have progressed the most in rankings this year. For someone who started the year at 526, the year 2014 has been a watershed for the Chennai lad, who has leaped more than three hundred places to 211.

Pune Marathas’ Saketh Myneni is another player who made a steady rise from outside the top-300 at the start of 2014 to be placed at 258. The country’s top men’s singles player, Somdev Devvarman, along with Delhi Dreams’ Sanam Singh and Hyderabad Aces’ Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, have not recorded significant gains or dipped alarmingly in their rankings. Who knows, the CTL could be the boost they are looking for.

Indian tennis will be the biggest winner overall if our players can make the most of the CTL platform. Their world rankings in the coming months will be ones to watch and surefire indicators of the league’s wider success.

Originally published on the Champions Tennis League website here.