Presenting a healthy picture

INDIAN WOMEN'S tennis is healthy, judging by the titles won in recent weeks. The Indian girls are hungry for more success, but need the opportunities and guidance to fulfil their potential.

The country's No.1, Nirupama Vaidyanathan won back to back doubles titles in venues as far as Ho Chi Minh City and Bradenton, Florida. Manisha Malhotra was her partner in Vietnam, and an American, Melissa Middleton supported Nirupama for the title in a 75,000 dollar tournament in the U.S.

Rushmi Chakravarthi and Radhika Tulpule asserted the Indian supremacy in hot and humid conditions against quality opposition in winning the titles in the 10,000 dollar events in Chandigarh and Pune. Rushmi in partnership with Sai Jayalakshmy has been winning the doubles titles with some consistency.

Some time earlier, Sheethal Goutham showed that she had not forgotten the art of winning by clinching the title in the masters event of the 5000 dollar circuit in Delhi.

Not so long ago, the timid Indian girls, lacking in self-belief used to bow out to foreigners with alarming regularity, allowing most of the prize money and precious WTA points to be swept away by the visitors. They have, however, shown considerable speed in learning from the defeats, to the extent of making the maximum of the events held at home.

The triumphant run of the Indian girls has been such that there is a valid demand for more tournaments at the 10,000 dollar level and a few in the 25,000 dollar category.

It has been a struggle for the Indian girls to compete in the 5000 dollar circuits, for four weeks in a row, and getting precious little WTA points in the fourth week. Originally, it was good match practise for the Indian players, but they have graduated from that level now.

Hence, the eight weeks of 5000 dollar tournaments in a season, can as well be converted to eight 10,000 dollar tournaments, along with the other 10,000 and 25,000 dollar events that are being held.

There is a handy argument in favour of the women, especially when one finds the men struggling to win two rounds at home in similar tournaments. There is a general neglect of women's tennis which is discouraging the players, pushing some of them to studies.

Shruti Dhawan, the best bet to win on foreign soil, after Nirupama and Manisha, as she showed last year with her power- play, athleticism and positive attitude, has been studying for college exams for the most part of this season.

Another teenager, Radhika Tulpule packed her racquet bag after winning the title in Pune to focus on her college exams. It is the case with some of the other girls, especially from Chennai.

Of course, it is only a select few who are able to prove their worth on foreign soil, while the rest are happy gathering points at home. Nirupama is foremost in this regard, as she emphasised her mettle in the Fed Cup in Kao Hsiung, Chinese Taipei, where she was close to tilting the balance against the eventual qualifier Indonesia, in a long drawn three- setter against Wynne Prakusya. She carried on the momentum to make the semifinal in Vietnam in singles in a 25,000 dollar tournament, and lost after having two matchpoints.

Manisha Malhotra comes the second best, though she is at No.3 behind Sai Jayalakshmy, among the 30-odd Indian girls who figure in the WTA ranking list. You need to get points from three tournaments to figure in the WTA list, unlike the ATP list where you need one point from one tournament. Manisha was able to win a few matches in Australia, where she played five weeks of tournaments along with Sai and Rushmi.

As coach Enrico Piperno observed after the Fed Cup, the Indian girls work hard but lack the guidance. Right from Nirupama to Jasleen Randhawa who is pursuing an MBBS course but finds time for tennis, Indian girls need coaching. Most of them forget the basics, let alone working on the higher aspects of the game.

When you look at Sai Jayalakshmy making a mess of a match despite her strengths of strokeplay and athletic ability, you understand the value of a coach. One also understands the utility of a coach when watching Jyotsna Vasisht jumping up the ladder to be among the top Indians, within a short time, thanks to the guidance from the sincere professional Kawaljeet Singh.

The problem with most of the Indian girls, including the latest find, Sania Mirza, and to a greater extent Megha Vakharia and Sonal Phadke, is that they go about their job, rather blindly, despite all their intelligence. With good training, positive thinking and a single minded focus, there is no reason why the Indian girls cannot translate their hunger into success.

To that end, the onus is on Nirupama herself to break into the top-100 league, which she has been trying for the last few years, reaching as high as 134. The recent success in doubles, in the form of about half a dozen titles, has not dissuaded Nirupama from concentrating on her singles game.

Yet, there is a strong possibility that Nirupama would break into the top 100 in doubles and move further up, before she joins the elite club in singles. Success in any form is welcome. The renewed confidence can only do good to her singles game, though it is tough to take the physical load.

Once Nirupama graduates into big tournaments of the WTA circuit more regularly from the lower rungs of the ITF women's circuit, Indian women's tennis will have better direction, as the girls will have someone to emulate. It is indeed to Nirupama's credit that she has been able to manage admirably from her prize money and the limited support.

If someone like Enrico Piperno or Nandan Bal can spend a few weeks with the Indian girls during tournaments, and possibly train them before the tournaments, in a project that can be funded by the All India Tennis Association (AITA), there can be a 100 per cent growth in women's tennis.

To a lesser extent, a bunch of Indian girls travelling for tournaments abroad should try to hire a coach, who is within their financial reach, so that there is a constant attempt to improve.

In professional sport, you need to make a lot of investment and sacrifices, keeping the goals clearly in mind, to make progress.

It is a testimony to the will of the Indian women players, that they have been able to prove the advantage of having international tournaments at home, at the expense of a domestic circuit, despite having much fewer tournaments as compared to the men.

Unless there is a thrust from the AITA, in terms of coaching support, the momentum gained by women's tennis in the country through a string of impressive performances, would be lost within no time. It is no fun starting from scratch all the time.

KAMESH SRINIVASAN

New Delhi

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Kokurin outlasts Kirtane, to meet Uebel in final
Next     : They still grapple with traditional methods