'Indian Tennis Is A Mess': Anand Amritraj Speaks On Internal Politics In AITA Ruining Growth Of Sport
Anand also find it surprising that Sasikumar Mukund and Ramkumar Ramanathan have not been able to crack top-100 as yet.
Former Davis Cup Indian skipper Anand Amritraj spoke out on the ‘tragic’ state of tennis in India, highlighting how internal politics within the AITA have stunted the growth of the sport in the country.
Asked if he was aware about the petition filed by Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja, seeking appointment of an administrator to run AITA, Anand said he did not have much details but was disappointed with the state of Indian tennis.
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“It really is a mess. There’s always been politics in Indian tennis. That’s part of the problem. It has to be people who genuinely love the game, want to see it get better."
Anand also find it surprising that Sasikumar Mukund and Ramkumar Ramanathan have not been able to crack top-100 as yet.
“I can’t see why our boys don’t. I can understand it with injuries and stuff like that. But other than that, watching the two boys play, our two top players, Sasikumar and Ramkumar, I’m surprised that they’re both not in the top 100, 150. They have the game for it."
“To some extent, there’s some little piece there that’s missing. One is movement. And second is mental. Playing the 30-40, 40-30, break points.
At this level, it comes down to a couple of points. That’s all it does. "
So what should they do?
“First, don’t get injured. Number one thing is, you should be able to play 25-30 weeks of the year, solidly, without getting injured.
“It is really a shame that a country like ours, where we’ve had all the greats, from Krishnan to Jaydeep Premjit, then to Vijay and me and Ramesh, and downwards from there, that we’ve gone in the wrong direction.
“We’ve gone in the wrong direction, unfortunately, which is tragic. It’s like Sweden, they’re suffering the same thing. They see Norway, Denmark and Finland having top players, and they don’t have it, which is a shame. And for us, it’s a huge shame. I don’t understand why."
India have also been struggling to put a decent, robust tournament structure in place. It lost the only ATP250 event and if Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Karnataka are left out, no other state is hosting a Challenger-level tournament.
“My take on it is the fact that instead of having 10 Challengers, if you can get a 250 and five Challengers, I think you’re better off. A mix of both. Only because, a 250 raises the profile of the game, the country gives something to aspire to."
India have six top-100 players and another four between 100-150.
Anand said it’s the singles game that matters.
“That is the number one priority. But it’s sad, how far we’ve fallen in the last even 20 years. I mean, Rohan has played doubles for the last 10 years before that Leander and Mahesh.
“But, in my opinion, doubles is, by the way, it’s something that you play for fun and for money. Tennis is a one-on-one sport."
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