On India‘s tennis stars
Trending
Tennis has taken off in relatively recent years, having really gained prominence after the Lee-Hesh partnership. And Sania Mirza has been brilliant in recent years, and their Grand Slam success has made people take proper notice of tennis.
But we had Vijay Amritraj, who was India’s best in the past, but went relatively unnoticed in comparison to Paes, Bhupathi and Mirza
Yes, but the exposure then was not as big, and Lee-Hesh really burst onto the tennis scene and stayed there. We’ve had doubles success right from then to now, and they're winning Slams left, right and center.
We have Rohan Bopanna who is doing brilliant things.
But there has been a focus on the doubles. India has not had much singles success, even though we have a good understanding of the game, there aren’t singles laurels.
The singles tour is far more brutal, far more taxing on the body than the doubles. You also have only half the court coverage required in the doubles, so players have tended to stick to doubles rather than singles.
There is singles talent, but no focus on the singles – and perhaps that is discouraging players, or not bringing it to as much notice, so even if there are players, it’s hard to find an idol to look up to in the country.
We have talent, and can’t blame any specific organisations for the lack of promotion. But we need also to pay attention to singles in addition to promoting doubles. There’s a new generation of Indian players who definitely have the talent to succeed. They will always be there, they just need to be encouraged.
On tennis’ Big Four and the future
That inevitable question – do you think Federer can win another Grand Slam?
Everyone’s asking that question, and to be honest, by Federer’s standards, he has not had a great year. He did everything, gave it his all, really, it was just Djokovic who stood in the way – not just Federer’s but everyone’s. Despite the injuries, though, I think he could win another Slam. It looks difficult with Djokovic’s form, and perhaps a marginal stretch, but he could do it.
Honestly, though, I do not see anyone challenging Djokovic for at least the next 6-12 months.
There are so many other big players on the ATP tour that I think have immense potential, but never lived up to it. Gael Monfils is immensely talented, but lacks the mental tenacity to win a slam.
What do you think of Nick Kyrgios and his bad-boy antics?
I think colourful personalities are fun, important in every sport. That said, I think he has crossed that line, a line that should never be breached. There is having a personality, and then there is disgracing and degrading your rival, which has no business on the tennis court. The ‘bad boys' have always had more attention – people always watched Agassi over Sampras, McEnroe over Borg, because they provided that extra ‘excitement’ on court.
But it’s important for personality on court to be tempered by mutual respect.
And as for Rafa...
We’re also associated with the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academies; I interacted with his uncle Toni (who is Nadal’s longterm coach) over a time.
Many people have called for Nadal to change coaches; when Toni was asked he said “You’ll have to ask Rafa, I think I am cheap for him!”
As for switching coaches, I’m not entirely sure that will happen. Nadal is deep-rooted in his culture and values, and family is extremely important. So even if there is a need to change coaches, that might not necessarily happen.
A lot of Nadal’s issues, I think, are mental. Earlier, he was invincible to his rivals; now, they know they could outlast him, outplay him, and that has affected him too.
