Sania II?

Nihar Gokhale / TNN / Jun 12, 2007, 00:00 IST

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Sania Mirza's tryst for the top ranks inspires budding players, but is the city ready to carry forward the player's legacy?

Sania Mirza's tryst for the top ranks inspires budding players, but is the city ready to carry forward the player's legacy? Hyderabad Times takes stock.After making a comeback in the WTA top-50, Sania Mirza is passing through a lean phase. An exit from the French Open doubles quarter finals , and a knee injury have meant testing times for the player , who was the harbinger of a promising era for tennis in the city. But her achievements have inspired the city's talent to chase their dreams. Classic examples are four budding players - Janaki Rao, Anushka Bhargava, Surya Pavan and K Pradeep Reddy. Anushka ranks third in all India under-12 players, Janaki is among India's top 10 under-18 players, and Surya features in the India top-five under-14 . K Pradeep is fifth seed in under-16 and recently reached the semi-finals in the AITA Chandigarh Super Series.
Sharing these prodigies' Wimbledon dreams are thousands of starry-eyed youngsters in the city. Tennis is facing competition from other games, but people are participating in it with unprecedented zest. With increased awareness about the game, it's only a matter of time for the city to produce a second Sania. Experts believe that the game's growth, which picked up in the early '90s, has gained momentum in the last five years.
Infrastructure
"Courts have sprouted up all over the city. This indicates that the game has really picked up, here," observes VH Nagesh Kumar, senior coach at LB Stadium. According to him, post the national tennis game, the city has got two synthetic courts that meet international standards. The number of tennis courts has grown manifold, compared to a handful at LB Stadium, Asif Tennis Club, Ace Tennis Academy, ASCI and Secunderabad Club, a decade ago.

Easy entry
Considering people's interest, (Sports Authority of AP) SAAP has simplified entry into professional Tennis. Debutants now have to register with the SAAP office at LB Stadium. Players have to then clear qualifying rounds for the 'talent series', to get seeded. The national rank in the series determines players' entry into further levels like the 'super series', 'champions series' and 'national series'. A new decentralised selection system has come as a relief from the old setup, in which players had to go to Mumbai and Bengaluru to keep track of administrative procedures .

Cost is a concern
When it comes to playing professionally, tennis is much bigger than just a six-letter word. The game has become costlier than before. Clubs' enrollment fee is increasing and the cost of equipment is also on the rise. Academies are charging Rs 2000, per month, on an average. Dr Venkateshwara Rao, president of Asif Tennis Club, says, "Unlike earlier, the government now leases tennis courts to private parties at a high price. Clubs recover the cost from players. The average monthly fees of clubs has increased from Rs 100 to Rs 1000 in the past seven years." Today, the cost of a quality racquet varies from Rs 2500 to Rs 15000 while shoes cost around Rs 6000.
Where players stand
Practicing full-time might mean hectic days and compromising on study-time. But many parents are going the extra mile to encourage their children. "My daughter's school life gets disrupted due to daily practice sessions and frequent tournaments," says Anushka Bhargava's father. In the recent years, players mindset has undergone a sea change. "The number of players has increased, but quality has taken a backseat. Earlier, newcomers used to play passionately. Players are nowadays more concerned with the result and not the efforts commitments that go into the game," sighs Nagesh. But does training a player from a young age hamper his fitness? "It's important to workout, alongside practicing. Had Sania given importance to exercising, in her initial days, she wouldn't have faced fitness concerns," says Praveen Bhargava, chief coach at an academy in Begumpet.

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