Pause and think. Why haven’t we been able to produce more players? Take a look at Serbia which has a population of 69 lakhs and has four players (including the World #1) in the top 50. Delhi alone has a population of 1.9 crores. In this article, I would like to posit a few reasons as to why India is unable to produce world class players.
Climate: The climate in most states of India is non-conducive for training through the year. It is either too hot or too cold, or it is raining. When one visits Europe, one understands the difference this makes – in the UK, the sun sets only at 9 pm or so in the summer. The weather is nice and cool, just ideal for training. That is one major factor.
Attitude: Parental attitudes are way backwards in India. Most parents want their kids to be doctors or engineers. The thought of their kids becoming professional tennis players is seldom in the picture. This tug of war between children and parents takes a huge toll on the morale and confidence of the players.
Coaching: Coaching in India lacks properly trained professionals. The majority of the ‘coaches’ are former ball pickers and linesmen (unskilled workers who draw the lines on clay courts). Many of them aim to get the children tired, so they just make them run around aimlessly. This is bad for both – children learn nothing and the ‘coaches’ do not grow.
Costs: The cost of becoming a professional player (from the ages of 18 onwards) is approximately Rs.1.25 crores per annum. This broadly covers travel, food, entry fees, coaches and staff allowance, etc. Unfortunately, most sponsorship money in India goes into cricket. So how does a tennis aspirant meet these prohibitive costs? It is a well-known fact that unless you crack the top #100 (ATP) you are simply spending money and gaining little.
Tall players: Technically, Indians excel in tennis. We are far superior to our European counterparts on technique. On the other hand, the Europeans are so much bigger in stature. The ideal height is 6’ 2” for a tennis professional. There are exceptions but if you look at Sampras, Federer and Djokovic, they are all 6 feet and above. Height helps on the serve and volleys tremendously.
Ultimately, the buck stops at the Federation of the sport. Mind you, we have a great Federation but very few international tournaments are held in India. That too is slowly changing but so far, foreigners have come to India and won everything. A case in point is Italy. The rise of Italian players as a powerhouse is due to many international tournaments being held in Italy. Sinner and Berrettini have crashed into the top 10 (ATP) because of this very reason. The Federation needs to have a long hard look at this aspect and build a system so strong that even foreigners come to India to train.
Lastly, I feel Indian players lack the ‘fire in the belly’. That’s not their fault entirely. After slogging eight hours or more a day, arguing with parents, travelling around the world, managing with little help and meagre finances, is no easy task. So they start playing doubles to pay bills. There is no option. So far.
Shekhar Menon has been teaching tennis for the last 30 plus years, mainly in the NCR. He is qualified by the AITA/ITF and the PTR to teach worldwide. Many Davis Cup and Fed Cup players have been coached by him.
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