Chennai corpn parks in Thirumalai, Perungudi to get public tennis courts

Chennai: Tennis in the city would no longer be a sport only for the affluent, as Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has planned to set up two tennis courts at a public park. The courts will be free for the public to use.The pilot project will come up in Thirumalai Nagar Park II and III in Perungudi. The budget for these will be finalised soon. S V Ravichandran, zonal chairman for Perungudi, said tennis court bookings come at a premium in private clubs, and the SDAT courts are mostly reserved for professionals. "The common public, who play the sport, learn it in affluent schools or colleges that have tennis courts. The sport is otherwise out of the public's reach, though youngsters have aspirations to learn it. We got a lot of requests from enthusiasts, and it was approved this week," said Ravichandran, in whose ward 174 the tennis courts will come up. GCC will set up a clay tennis court, 78feet long, with width of 27feet for singles and 36feet for doubles. There will be seating space, and floodlights will be installed for evening gameplay. A room for storage of nets and sports equipment will also be constructed."If the demand is more, and people wish to use the place for professional training, we may outsource it to a third party who can manage it. But for now, it will be free, and we will rope in a contractor to maintain it," he said. B Aravindhan, a tennis player from Anna Nagar, said the civic body has had only one tennis court at Anna Nagar's Millennium Park for nearly two decades. "It's managed by local clubs, and it is a basic court. Maintenance was never an issue, as those who come to play ensured it is kept well. GCC shouldn't just stop with the pilot project and must fast-track it, as there are players in every area," he said.