Ten years and many chances

MUMBAI: The Chennai Open, delivered in the heat of Delhi in 1996, is now ten years old. What has the competition meant for Indian tennis? (There are other vital questions, like, has twice champion Carlos Moya developed a taste for idlis? But we''ll deal with them another day).
"Opportunity" is the common answer when you toss the query to the national tennis pack.
Sandeep Kirtane, former player and now coach, puts things in perspective. "At the ''98 edition, I was a match away from playing Boris Becker," he says. "It''s unbelievable."
Kirtane had reached the final qualifying round that year and lost to Vladimir Voltchkov. Had he won, he would have squared up against the German colossus.
"Not everybody gets to play big names." Kirtane says. "But you might get a chance to practice with them, which is almost as invaluable. Just being in that atmosphere is an experience."
Leander Paes feels the tournament provides the "exact dose" of opportunity and exposure to Indians. "When I made the semis in ''98, my confidence got a boost," he says. "I went on to reach No 73 in the rankings and won the Newport tournament. Singles-wise, it was the best year of my career."
It wasn''t bad doubles-wise too. That year Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won the second of their four titles at Nungambakkam stadium, the tournament''s spectacular venue. Paes and Bhupathi had also triumphed in 1997. It was their first ATP victory and the start of a glorious chapter in Indian sport.
Paes also mentioned the Rs 54 lakh donation the tournament made for tsunami victims this year when speaking of its contribution. "It showed how a sports event can help in a variety of ways," he said.
The week long tennis fest was held in April the first four years, then pushed up the order to January in 2000. Alongwith Doha and Adelaide, Chennai is now season-opener. To Prakash Amritraj, that lends it an identity. "It''s not lost somewhere in the middle of the calendar," says the 21-year-old. "It''s an important stop for players."
Nandan Bal, former national champion and senior coach, agrees that the tourney puts India in a positive light and could help the country as it chases organisational ambitions like the Commonwealth Games. "To conduct a tournament of this stature without glitch is good for our reputation," he says. "From the Indian tennis standpoint, I feel it is better placed to help now. In the past, only Leander and Mahesh were good enough to benefit from the tournament. Now there are a number of players with promise, like Harsh Mankad, Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna, who can take advantage of it."
Some things could improve. Paes would like a better effort from Indian players, who, despite getting wild cards every year, lose in early rounds. "Chennai is the first tournament of the year," he says. "Players are coming off Christmas breaks and are a bit rusty. Our boys should train harder and exploit that."
Bhupathi wouldn''t mind wider publicity. "Hoardings around the country will increase awareness," he says.
Mankad would be happy to see coaches from across India haul their star pupils to Chennai so that they can soak in seven days of world class tennis. "For youngsters, it''s inspirational to watch senior players in flesh," he says. "I remember how much I learnt from watching Sebastien Grosjean when he was the world''s No 1 junior. Our coaches and local federations could follow the United States Tennis Association''s (USTA) example. They often send their juniors for Davis Cup ties."