What next for Indian tennis?
At SDAT Tennis Stadium, Chennai
Apart from Mahesh Bhupathi and Leader Paes, the Chennai Open is one of the brightest spots of Indian tennis. It puts India on the global map, mostly for the right reasons. One of them is as simple as a smile of that ten-year old in the crowd screaming, “Come on India!”
For 16 years, the likes of Carlos Moya, Rafa Nadal and Tomas Berdych have left fans enthralled. And at a time when Tennis in India is faced with corruption and an opposition for its very own players, the signs of the worst are ominous.
Rumour has it that the future of the Chennai Open hangs in the balance, with the sponsors looking to move the event to another country in south-east Asia.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Early signs at the Aircel Chennai Open looked promising as Wild-Card entrant Somdev Devvarman and Qualifier Prakash Amritraj showed good touch to enter the second round. Unfortunately for them, they would bow in completely different fashion.
As valiantly Amritaj fought against Go Soeda in his tie, Somdev agreed that it was possibly one of his worst ever performances against World No. 6 Tomas Berdych. India’s top-ranked singles player Yuki Bhambri put up a spirited fight against sixth seed Robin Haase, but ended up with a straight sets 5-7, 3-6 loss in a first round.
Amritraj, the son of former Tennis great Vijay, had taken a two year sabbatical from the game. But at the Chennai Open, it seemed like he was on tour all along. Powerful on the serve and delicate on the volley, his tennis was easy on the eye.
After coming through the qualifiers, Amritraj said, “I hope to stay healthy…didn’t think I was going to play six months ago, so winning back to back matches is great.” And in his second round tie, his second game in as many days, he had his chances but luck wasn’t on his side.
“I didn’t have anything left in the tank after that first set. I constructed points well, and the match could have gone straight sets in my favour but Soeda is like a top-50 player for some reason and he showed that today,” Prakash said.
Devvarman, on the other hand, who has suggested some sweeping changes in the organization of Davis Cup ties in the country, admitted that his performance against Berdych was woeful.
“I agree that it was a very bad performance by me. Unfortunately it happened over here. I was happy that I got my first round win and there is no denying that I am lacking in matches right now.
“(It was) definitely not my best tennis today. Having said that, I do not think even best tennis could have been good enough. The guy is playing well and he is confident and he is a good player. Hopefully, such performances will not happen in the future,” he said.
And when asked about the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and their demands with respect to their boycott, Somdev said rather than pointing fingers at anyone, his intention was to fix the problems.
“Unfortunately, they do not see it like that. It is their problem. We are going to continue dealing with them the way we do with them.”
“I have not heard from them (AITA) since I had the meeting. I see few of the guys here all the time and we are very cordial with each other and I have no problem with them. I am not a guy that I confront and point fingers at people. I just want to fix problems.”
On 4th of January, the Indian Davis Cup team, along with Mahesh Bhupathi, issued a statement, making it clear that they are ‘regrettably, unavailable for selection unless the AITA is willing to consider.’
This comes in light of the recent statement by AITA Secretary General Mr. Bharat Oza that they will introduce a disciplinary code for players before the Davis Cup tie against South Korea in February and that only those who sign the code will be able to represent the country.
Given the fact that the players unanimously stand against certain practices observed in the management of the Davis Cup squad, they have listed a few suggestions (below) to help make it a stronger and more competitive team than it currently is.
The Bargaining Table:
1. The team must comprise of six players to ensure adequate practice partners, while also allowing for exposure to Davis Cup playing conditions for a larger pool of Indian talent.
2. The decision-making process for choosing the surface and venue for home ties should involve the participation of all active players.
3. Professional team management to include a common team Physiotherapist and coach, a move that we believe will foster team unity.
4. A revised agreement for the distribution of Davis Cup prize money. The current ratio of distribution has been implemented based on a twenty-year-old agreement that strongly favours the AITA. We propose that, henceforth, prize money be distributed to the players after the AITA recovers all costs incurred through a Davis Cup tie.
5. All team members should be treated at par with regard to logistical arrangements.
They further went on to add that this statement ‘should not be construed as an ultimatum, but instead as a platform for change to ensure a better future for Indian Tennis.’
Personal statements from the Davis Cup Team (selected few):
Somdev Devvarman
“I feel our suggestions have been reasonable and have been arrived at, based on what we believe we deserve. If the AITA proposes a solution that is agreeable to all the players, I shall play for the country, if asked. If, in our opinion, the AITA’s response is unfair, I will stand united with the rest of the players and continue on our pursuit for changes in the system that I believe are necessary for the evolution of the sport and the system of sports administration in the country.
My involvement will always be for the greater good of the team and what we believe is best for our team. We will not continue to function with these archaic methods of management.”
Mahesh Bhupathi
“It is refreshing to see the players unite on a common stance. What they are suggesting is improved infrastructure and support to enhance their performance at Davis Cup ties.
Tennis is a demanding sport physically and mentally, and these suggestions accommodate those factors. It shouldn’t be a hard decision for the AITA.
If Leander (Paes) and I could have been on the same page years ago, we would have done the same but the next generation seems to have us back on track now. I admire their desire to improve the state of affairs.”
Yuki Bhambri
“We work and train hard throughout the year and when performing for the nation, we want to put our best foot forward. To perform at the optimum level, we need to use the best available resources.
We are a young team and deserve a younger support staff, people with whom we can mentally connect.”
Let’s hope that in due course of time AITA and the likes of Bhupathi and Rohan Bhopana can sort out their well documented differences. The pair was earlier banned from representing the country for two years.
And like Somdev said, he’d like to fix problems with the AITA; let’s hope the rest of them do too, for the good of tennis at least.