Niru's Tennis Blog

Excerpt from my book to come later...Wimbledon!!

2011-06-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

Wimbledon- The Grass is not all that green!!!
If you ask any player, they will have fond memories of their wins in tournaments even if it is in some obscure village. My thoughts on Wimbledon may be a bit muddled because I never had great results there. However,I just want to lay down some facts you may have never heard about Wimbledon.
I have played Wimbeldon twice as a junior,5 -6 years in womens’s event both as a qualifier and as a main draw player and later on as part of the media when I was a commentator.
As a junior, I was overawed by the entire club, its facilities, its traditions and of course watching some of my heroes up close and personal. I was in the salon once with shampoo all over my hair when Pete Sampras came in for a haircut. I pleaded with my stylist to please remove all that mess from my hair, so I didn’t look like a clown!!
Then came my years as a qualifier. For those who don’t know what that means, qualifiers are those who don’t have a direct entry into the main draw of Wimbledon.Main draw is usually the top 108 players as per ranking and the next 100 or so players will need to qualify through 3 rounds to gain an entry into the main draw.
Wimbledon’s qualifying rounds are not held in The All England Club. They are held in the Police Grounds at Roehampton which are a few miles away. Qualifiers who lose at Roehampton never even got to see Wimbledon even though they were actually playing the same tournament.
I also definitely need to take a dig at the hierarchical way they divided up the locker rooms. In no other Grand Slam was a locker room divided up by the top 8 seeds, followed by the next rung of seeds and so on. The All England club definitely didn’t care about being politically correct, that’s for sure!!
Wimbledon was in lot of scrutiny and finally became the last Grand Slam to offered equal prize money for men and women in 2007. US Open offered equal prize money starting in 1973!!!
I forget the year when this incident happened. I had lost in the final round of qualifying and had gone to Wimbledon to collect my prize money. The treasurer gave my check and said the official transport desk would take me to the bank up hill. My bags were ready and I lugged them on to the transport desk. When I went there, the liason looked at my badge that said qualifier and said” sorry – but we don’t provide transport for qualifiers”. I explained to him the treasurer told me so and the bank was just a mile away, but he said”Rules are rules,Maam”. I was pondering how I was going to carry my bags uphill to the bank when a bodyguard of Goran Ivanisevic barged in. He told the liason that he needed to go to central London. I knew that as per RULES that a coach,bodyguard or spouse could never get official transport on their own and had to be travelling with the player. Goran wasn’t there. But the same liason scurried and said"Yes sir-yes sir,right away,Sir.This way-sir”. I thought to myself “ what the hell””?? I can say that it was one of the lowest moments of my life.
I played in the main draw a few years later. All the wonderful treatment including free musical tickets, transport to wherever I wanted to go, didn’t flinch me one bit. My perspective was intact.

Even as a commentator which was the by the way, the best experience of Wimbledon overall, I took it always with a pinch of salt.
It was also here that I had a mini-tiff with Steffi Graf on the practice courts. She is the greatest woman player of all time, in my opinion. But that is for another day…….

Chinese Tennis System Vs Indian Tennis System Published Times of India June 11th.

2011-06-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

It was the summer of 2002.I had just moved to California after my marriage. I got a call from a friend to practice with the Chinese tennis team that was in California for a short break. I had played against the girls many times in recent matches and so I went along to practice. There were about 7 to 8 girls including Jie Zheng, Li Ting and a few others ranked in the 300s to 400s on the WTA tour.
The Chinese team was in US for 3 months to play the US circuit and was travelling with 2 coaches. After about 3 hours of intense hitting, we all took a break and the Coach told me “We are preparing for the Olympics”. I assumed it was for Athens Olympics in 2004, but he quietly said “No-we are practicing for Beijing”. I looked at him incredulously and thought this man had gone mad!!
Our Indian National teams are announced a couple of weeks prior to an event and usually there is a small camp leading up to it. I had never heard of a country planning and practicing for an event 6 years in advance. Hell, even a year ahead, was like eons from where I came from!!
In 2004, just 2 years later, two of the girls I practiced with that day won the Gold Medal at Athens Olympics. Li Ting and her partner Sun TianTian created history and totally transformed the face of women’s tennis in China and achieved their goals much earlier than expected. After that gold, more money was poured into structured programs for grass root level tennis and for talented juniors .China has now nearly 30,000 tennis courts and an estimated 14 million people regularly play tennis.
Li Na popularized it more by entering into the top 20 in the World and being a serious contender for Grand Slam titles. With Li Na’s recent French Open title, tennis will assume more importance. It is already the 3rd most popular sport in China.
I was in China twice last year, first time to play some tournaments as a warm-up before the CWG and next for the Asian Games in Guangzhou. In the ITF events I played, I was the only foreigner in a qualifying draw of 64 entries. The level of tennis in that $10,000 Women’s event was higher than some of the $50,000 challenger tournaments in India. All the Chinese players travelled from various provinces as a team with a coach. There are so many advantages when travelling as a team as there are good practice partners, a coach to oversee the training and matches, security, cost effectiveness amongst many other factors. I have often wished for that when I travelled alone in Europe as an 18 yr old from one tournament to the next.
China has taken goal setting, planning and execution to a whole new level. It is obviously pure magic when all the elements in this equation like players, coaches, parents, tennis federation and Government are single-mindedly working towards a common goal. I am also sure that are some pitfalls and challenges that are associated with such a strict regime, but they seem to be able to overcome these quite effectively.
India has a long way to go to come close to China’s progress in tennis. When I first turned pro, everything I did was by trial and error starting from entering tournaments to choosing the right tournament to securing my own visas to buying my air tickets. We never had more than one pro tournament in India and due to this, I had to base myself in Europe, away from my family for 2 years.
I know as a junior, Sania’s parents have sacrificed a lot to give her the best possible training and opportunities. After her junior Wimbledon doubles title, she may have gotten more sponsorships, but in terms of training and practice, she has had to do it alone. In my opinion, she would have benefitted most if she were part of a team of girls when she had just transitioned to the Women’s tour. It’s always easier and more fun to do physical fitness like gym work, pliometrics, quickness drills, stamina and weight training when it’s done in a group. It’s also proven from the Chinese that when a competitive group practices with a systematic approach, miracles happen. Years ago, I was the only woman from India going from week to week on the pro tour and now a decade later, Sania is the only woman going places there.
In India, we have never had a proper structure to identify, guide and nurture youngsters in a completely professional environment with everyone working together towards one goal. There are some academies that are quite professional, but they work independently of the AITA or the Sports Ministry. It would also be great to see more sport persons involved in this entire process. But first and foremost, we need to accept the fact that big changes are needed. Only then can things fall into place.

My column on Sania published on 4/16 in DNA-Mumbai newspaper

2011-04-19T21:56:00.000-07:00

Jet-setting across the globe in pursuit of Grand Slams is a dream unique in itself. But trying to balance a marriage and excel on the WTA tour is a challenge by no means. In India, very few women have attempted breaking traditions by pursuing their sporting careers even after marriage, but their careers have never taken off. Sania Mirza might once again prove to be the path breaker.
On the WTA tour, many women have dared to scale new heights after marriage. Kim Clijsters has obviously taken it to the next level by winning Grand Slam titles even after having a baby. As a married woman, Liezel Huber rose to no1 in the World in doubles and still continues to be a force on the tour. But it will be more challenging for Sania because she has cultural and traditional issues to deal with, in pursuing this. Having said that, I know Sania handles pressure much better than anyone I have seen.
Sania’s marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik can be the best for her tennis, in my opinion. Being a first class cricketer himself, Shoaib is in sync with the level of focus and hard work that any game demands. During the CWG and Asian Games, I saw Sania more at peace and on solid ground with the support she receives from all around her.
Her primary goal, back in November, was to get into the main draw of Grand Slams in singles. As of March this year, Sania has achieved her target by rising to 73 in the singles rankings which will ensure her spot in French Open and Wimbledon. After watching her tame Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand, I hinted to her that her form reminded me of 2007 when she slammed her way into the final of the Stanford WTA beating top 20 players en route. Sania agreed and said that her confidence was also back on track.
In recent years, Indians have fared way better in doubles than in singles. Leander Paes’s best singles ranking was 73, but it’s his doubles game that propelled his ranking to no.1 in the World and gave him myriad Grand Slam titles. Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna tried their stint on the singles circuit too, but changed course into doubles where success came faster and a bit easier.
This could be attributed to the fact that, in general, Indians are more adept at volleys and the angles that doubles demands. Also one cannot overlook the fitness level that’s required for long five set matches in singles. I can assure you that the singles court dimensions suddenly seem wider and bigger when you are a doubles specialist!!!
Sania has won 14 doubles tour titles in the past few years, but her priority has always been singles. Her best doubles ranking was 18 back in 2007 when she won back to back titles before the US Open. She has 2 Grand Slam doubles titles to her credit, one in juniors and the other one in 2009 when she won the Aussie Open mixed doubles with Mahesh Bhupathi.
In the beginning of this year, Sania had limited success with Czech partner Voracova at the Australian Open, but after Doha, Elena Vesnina and Sania seem to have found that niche. Indian Wells was a break through event for them where took the title without loss of a set. Their next campaign in Charleston against 2nd seeded pair of Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond was a sure indication of their potential as a pair. Sania and Elena won 6-3,6-4.They went on to take their 2nd title with wins against 4th seeded pair of Shaugnessy and Mattek-Sands.
Sania has the capability to play on the deuce court or the ad court. That kind of adaptability is rare. Her colossal forehand is one of the best in the game and it’s her racquet head speed that helps her pound that ball. I can vouch that it’s a tad scary to be staring down the barrel of her forehand when your partner serves a loopy 2nd serve. The reason why this pair is so deadly is because her partner Elena, packs a serious punch off her backhand shot. Thus this combination of high powered Sania forehand and the Elena backhand make them a force to reckon with.
Sania volleys have never been a major strength, but that is mainly due lack of opportunities. While her technique is sound, her comfort zone has always been on the baseline. But with so many top level doubles wins under her belt, her confidence in coming to the net is bound to increase.
The other factor that sticks out in recent match statistics are the tie-breaks. Out of the last seven 3rd set tie breaks, Sania and Elena have won all of them. In general, tie breaks involve some amount of luck too. But the consistency with which the tie breaks have gone Sania’s way are surely disproving that theory. I have seen Sania during these crunch moments in CWG and during the Asian games. Her ability to raise the level of her game a few notches at crucial times is what separates her from others. It’s the choices you make- to go for broke or play safe or play with controlled aggression. Sania chooses the last of the three options predominantly and comes out in flying colors.
While she might have expected more of herself in singles in this US circuit, her doubles ventures have not been in vain. She has climbed to a commendable ranking of 29 within a 3 month period. If Sania will choose to focus on both singles and doubles this year, she will need to select tournaments wisely in order to have enough recovery time between events. Looking at her current form, I won’t put a Women’s doubles Grand Slam title past her in the next year.

Coimbatore memories

2011-02-14T21:23:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Coimbatore and pursuing a one-of-a-kind dream was a journey like no other, whether it was umpiring a tennis match as an 8 year old or competing in tournaments against Boys at 10 years or winning a National Women’s title at 14. Oprah Winfrey was quoted saying “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance - and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” I don’t think there are more apt words to describe my life.

Coimbatore has produced many National level tennis players. Amazingly, the level of tennis in most clubs is quite high. Within a 2 mile radius of my home, I could practice tennis in 3 different places, go for step running at the Nehru stadium and train for a long distance run at Race Course. For those who haven’t been to Coimbatore, Race Course is the 2.2 km pride of Coimbatore where green trees line the entire pathway around the circle. The Coimbatore Cosmopolitan Club is an institution in the city. My father became a member there in the 1970‘s and so my brother Ganesh and I were able to avail those wonderful facilities which included three immaculately maintained red clay courts.

My father, a former Ranjit Trophy cricket player, was a bit disillusioned with the politics that cricket involved and took a huge dive into tennis. When this man takes up something, there is nothing else that mattered more to him than learning the sport and mastering it. He even emulated the Krishnans by maintaining a tennis court of one of his friends solely for us to practice. On Sunday afternoons, Deepavali, Pongal and other holidays when the club was closed, we would spend long hours “drilling” forehands and backhands.

I had the luxury of being surrounded by top players in India. From my cousins to my brother to the many wonderful members of Cosmopolitan Club, I had myriad practice partners to choose from. Playing against adults made me think like an adult on the tennis court. Of course, being a total tennis junkie, helped too. I was the only girl and the youngest in that group, so denying me those five minutes of a “hit” was almost impossible.
In my teen years, I had the opportunity to attend the PERKS school. The correspondent, the late Mr.Ramaranganathan was a visionary and I was fortunate to be able to train at the Perks Health center and the tennis courts at my own school. Now that I have a tennis academy here in California, I try my best to recreate some of that atmosphere to my students.

To say that there were no challenges would be misleading. I was training to play international pro tennis, a path which no other female player from India had ventured into. Coimbatore, in fact, even India, was not ready for me that time. So I had to swim against the cultural and social currents on an everyday basis.

Coimbatore didn’t have that many attractions for kids growing up. Cinema for us was quite rare, but when we went, it was mainly to the Central theatre which used to play all the James Bond movies. My brother and I were quite awed by Clint Eastwood too who could shoot at the speed of lightening!! Becoming a Rajni fan, came only later!!
There are 3 main places which were my favorite haunts growing up. Pazhamudir Nilayam, which is the fruit and juice stall, was our regular stop after a long day of tennis or after a strenous run at the stadium. The JM and Sons Bakers whipped out delectable cakes, puddings and desserts and their Japanese cake was to die for. And last, but certainly, not the least was Annapoorna. After all the travelling in and outside India, I am yet to taste a sambar like theirs.
As you all see, nostalgia takes over when I recall my memories of my younger years in Coimbatore. I am sure you would all agree the wonderful weather and the tasteful Siruvani water are especially unique to the city as is the city itself.

The price of beauty!!

2011-02-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

So after a long time, I decide to take the day off and relax in a spa. You know, the usual-cucumber slices on the eyes and towel over the head,lotions on the face...
So i walk in and after a cursory look of my face through the luminiscent light, the Korean lady declares- Oh-you need a Deeeep Cleaning Facial. I said-hey-ur the boss...lets do it.
After I was all comfy and relaxed,she brought her "tools". OOOOh-tools they were!!!
She pricked,prodded and pinched her way through all the crevices of my face.I was almost screaming and wincing. Just then it hit me- Helllo-wait a minute.I am paying this lady a good amount for administering pure pain and...oh also to get me over my phobia of needles.Yup,oh totally makes sense-Niru,i thought.
Then she puts this fiberglass oval shaped thing over my face. OOH! I get it-she is also helping me get over my other phobia-claustrophobia. Awesome! This worked out good today.Oh, The price of beauty.....
Some smart person once said"Beauty is, but skin deep". I am going to heed that advice from now on....

Sorry state of affairs

2011-02-04T22:44:00.000-08:00

Fed Cup results from Nonthanburi,Thailand are just coming in and India's performance has been a bit disappointing. India lost to China,Uzbekistan and lastly to Thailand.
This is not new, India has been in this state, stagnant and monotonous for more than 15-20 years. India has been in and out of Group 1 time and time again. But never ever has it come close to actually qualifying into the World Group.
After all, that should be the target,is it not?
But that target has been shoved into the shadows and all that is expected of the team is to cause a few upsets and remain in Group 1 for the next year. If one were to analyse this, it is so obvious that are some stark issues that needs to be addressed.
Sania wins all her singles matches. India has a few options for the 2nd player, Poojashree is a talented girl who has done fairly well on the circuit. But beyond Sania, there is no one in the horizon. And its not one person we should be looking out for-its the pack of wolves that I am talking about. We need at least 8-10 girls able to threaten the top women and ready and raring to go.
It is just wishful thinking mainly because the people at the helm of affairs are probably not willing to concede that there needs to be radical change for Women's tennis in india. It is as apparent and as obvious now as it was to me months ago, when as a 33 yr old and after 8 years of retirement, I made the Indian team. First comes the admittance, then can come action.

Family time

2010-12-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been totally out of the ordinary for me.
Firstly, I spent one entire day from dawn to dusk in the charming enthusiastic company of my 4 year old. We hiked upto a bridge near our house with the sole intention of hearing the PLOP!! when the stones hit the brook below. Then we rushed home to just get ready for our Matinee Madness with Rapunzel in the Tangled!! This was Sahana's first experience to the Big Screen and to say that she was thrilled was an understatement. The animation was quite spectacular and both Sahana and I were glued to the screen. After we got home, we decided to bake soem cookies. Sahana and i mixed up the dough and the cookies turned out to be quite tasty. i dont think I have spent that kind of a relaxing day with her in the past year.
Then the day before my birthday,she said she would make a wish for me that I would have no troubles forever!! That was quite touching. My brother and his wife Priya joined Sanjeev,Sahana and me for a drive upto San Francsico on the 8th dec and we had a cozy dinner in Little Italy. I could not have asked for a better way to spend my birthday!!

Sahana

2010-11-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

I cant remember the last time I sat and watched 3 back to back episodes on the Cooking Channel!! That too at 4 am!! Thanks to the jet lag, Sahana and I shared some mommy-daughter moments watching some serious cooking shows.
I was unable to update the hoopla on my blog before I left for China. My ticket to China was paid by the Government of India and for it to be approved, seconded and finally booked took about 2-3 weeks.
Sanjeev and Sahana were already booked and were set to travel with all documents intact.
The ticket arrived 2 days before I left for China. The day before I left, Sahana was running a temperature. So I took her to a doctor who said it might be just viral and we were good to travel. Unfortunately, we had to fly separately because my ticket was booked last minute and there were no seats available on their flight.
Sahana was still runnign a temperature when they were checking in.They left on a flight 12 hrs prior to mine. At the airport,I tried to stand-by for their flight and after 3 hrs of waiting and giving us a lot of hope, the airline said I could not travel with them. I was in tears because Sahana was hot with fever and Sanjeev had to take her on the long trip by himself. It was probably the longest few hours of my life and the worst part was that I would be on a plane when they reach China. So it meant 24 hrs of no news about Sahana. That was quite painful. Actually very painful.
Once I boarded the plane, halfway I even tried calling them on the phone in the plane. But for some reason, there was no signal the entire way. When I finally reached Hong Kong, I was so relieved to when I called them and knew all was fine.
She was still running a temperature of 101 and had a cough. But since we were staying outside in a hotel, I felt better that I could be with Sahana when I wasnt on court.
The problem with buying tickets at the Asian Games was another hitch. While the Chinese media and their official website claimed the tickets were all sold out, there were but 10 people on the 1st day in the massive stadium. That was actually a worse situation than CWG. So I had to find a way to get them to come see my matches.
There were no ticket booths set up and the only tickets that were available were to be purchased form some Chinese bank after staying lining up in a queue for hours. That was ridiculous. But thankfully, our physical trainer Anand found someone in the Chinese Federation and somehow sneaked Sanjeev and Sahana in almost everyday. That was a blessing.
I also took Sanjeev and Sahana to tour the Asian Games Town one day. They were neither checked for accreditation or did they go through any security. I was quite surprised at how lax the entire security was.
After 4-5 days, Sahana was still coughing at which point we decided to check her out with a doctor. Call it a mom's intuition, I mentioned to Sanjeev that sahana may have pneumonia. We were taken in a ambulance by the stadium officials to a nearby hospital. A special ward was set up just for the Asian games participants. While we had no idea what was being spoken, a young man who looked quite Asian came and asked us where we were from. When we said India, he was quite delighted and said he was Indian too. We were so relieved as he agreed to play interpreter. We found out that he was doing his internship and was from Manipur in India.
The doctor who examined Sahana said that Sahana indeed had pneumonia and she maybe admitted as an inpatient for a week.Sanjeev and I freaked out. We really did not want to be in a Chinese hospital for a week and would have rather flown home by the next flight. But after an X-Ray, it was found that it a milder case of pneumonia and antibiotics would fix it. We thanked the Indian student who was such a blessing and left for the courts.
As soon as my matches were over, we took the next day's flight back. Even though Sahana was surely better after the antibiotics, we didnt want to take chances. We had originally planned on a trip to Macau after the Games, but decided that, that would be reserved for another day.
Now looking back, I am obviously a bit disappointed that i didnt win a medal. But I also have come to appreciate that mothers who travel on tour like Clijsters, Lindsay lee Waters and Rossana de Los Rios. While Kim has enough help around her, Rossana has been through tough times travelling with her little girl. Kudos to her for grinding it out on tour and being a mom!!!
I am truly happy to have gotten the opportunity to do what I did and though the outcome I longed for was more than what I got, I feel blessed.
Feel free to post your comments here. Would love to know what you think..

Expect the unexpected!!

2010-11-21T02:32:00.000-08:00

The Asian Games 2010 has had quite a few surprises!!! Firstly, India winning a bronze in gymnastics and then another medal in swimming!! This was a first medal for both those events and this is just an indication that with perseverance, anything is possible. I remember the gymnastics team training in Pune when our tennis team was there for a selection camp. They were so focussed and very organized and I am glad their hard work paid off.
In tennis, Sania has returned to phenomenal form. I saw her play a final in Stanford 3 years ago. She is hitting the ball the way she did when she stormed into the final of that Tier 1 WTA event. Though she lost a close encounter to Akgul Ammanadurova from Uzbekistan in semis, if she continues to strike the ball this well, I will not put the top 30 past her in the next few months.
Somdev;s run into the doubles final and singles semi-final is good news as well. Somdev is just so solid, that he wears his opponents down. His doubles run is definetely a small surprise, but a welcome one!!
Sadly, there is still no system to find the next Sania Mirza. All this takes is one person up on top wanting it as much as I do! Then things can change dramatically, but then this is India we are talking about. Change doesn't happen at all and if it does, it's too slow!!!!!Oh well...this is for another day!!

That was an eye opener!!

2010-11-16T05:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Sania Mirza turned 24 and celebrated her birthday at the tennis courts along with her husband Shoaib Malik and a large number or people. Amazingly, she shares her birthday with her mother Nazeema Mirza who joined hands to cut the cake.
One of Sania's fans from Hyderabad who studies here in some University,sent her a big chocolate cake and flowers on her birthday.
When my team mates and I got there we found a bunch of cameramen and lot of press taking filming and taking pictures of the birthday cake. I was amazed at the number of press people who had turned up to wish her and have a rare photo moment with the woman who has changed the face of Indian tennis.One of our top men players was involved in a team match a few yards away, which was obviously inconsequential. Amazing!!! That is Sania Mania....

Around the Games

2010-11-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

It is almost impossible not to compare the CWG with the Asian games this year since they are just a month apart from each other.
Security: Security at the CWG was like an impenetrable fortress. There were almost 3-4 check points one had to pass to get to the venues and based on many reports,that was absolutely essential. That was the kind of security essential to thwart any chance of terrorist activity during the Games.
Security is not that much of an issue here as terrorism is not a problem here,at least,so far! They are much more lax here and there were even times when athletes were not even checked for their pass before entering the Games Village.
Venues and Games Village: The CWG venues and village was surely top of the line even by international standards. But what they lacked on is the presentation of the end product. Dust and unclean living quarters were the black mark for the CWG despite such amazing infrastructure.
In that regard,China knows to score the brownie points. Their presentation is top of the line and though the apartments at the Village dont have a TV,couch or an air conditioner, they have kept it spic and span. The Venues are all massive capable of accommodating a lot more people than the Indian stadiums. In fact everything about China seems to be really huge, the airport, the stadiums, offices, roads,etc. It almost feels like they are thinking 10 years ahead in everything!!
Transport : Both the CWG and the Asian Games are quite similar in terms of transport facilties.
Language: In the CWG, obviously everything was so much smoother because of English being spoken by everyone.
Here, this is a huge problem. It takes us a long time and serious repetition to really get points across to them. even the people who know English are not fluent and it is really hard to get from point A to point B.
Food: If you asked anyone about the CWG food, they would tell you about how fantastic the quality and variety of the cuisines available at the Village. The staff was quite friendly too.
Here, the food is below par with most emphasis on the Cantonese cooking. They do have an East Indian food counter, but it is not that great tot talk about. There is a Mcdonalds counter, though, which is what most athletes end up going to....Believe it or not!!!!
Tickets: Last but not the least, at the CWG, tickets for competitors was made available through the ITF representative who made sure all got tickets fairly.
here it is a ruckus of the top most order. Most stadiums are empty but there are no tickets available to buy. There are not even ticket booths to buy tickets from. Everyone claims all tickets are sold out, but outside the stadiums there are people selling in black market!!! This reminds of the movie tickets people sell in India outside a Shah Rukh Khan movie!!!

Match against Indonesia

2010-11-13T14:37:00.000-08:00

With Sania having a ear infection and unable to step in to play, I was chosen to play 2nd singles. I was hitting the ball great during practice and so Rico thought I was a better option for singles.
The Indonesian number 2 player started off a bit slow, but then regained her game and hardly missed through the entire first set. While I attempted to mix up the pace and move her side to side,I made a few unforced errors trying to go for down the lines too prematurely. There were several games that were long and went back and forth with dueces but it was quite clear that she played a superior level of tennis. The scoreline after the end of the match was 6-1,6-1 as I was unable to convert all the break point opportunities I had.
Poojashree played a brave match and was leading a set and 3-1, but lost the 2nd and eventually the tie. So it was a disheartening day for India yesterday when we were knocked out in the 1st round itself.We now have 2 days for practice before the individuals begin.

Asian Games Day 1- 11Nov.

2010-11-11T05:06:00.000-08:00

I finally arrived in China yesterday after a 14.5 hr flight. While not going into too much detail, lets just say that the last few days have been chaotic. Its quite interesting how the AITA's(All India Tennis Association)representative and the IOA(Indian Olympic Asso) find ways to delay the inevitable and somehow make it all happen. I cant say I am new to this, but it's amazing how nothing changes here in 10 years. In fact, the nonchalance and procrastination together make it a very difficult scenario.
Now moving on....the Olympic centre itself is humongous. The Stadiums are extravagant and built to mega proportions. The tennis centre is equally nice and ready to cater to a lot of teams that will begin their campaign on Saturday.
The opening ceremony is to be held tomorrow(Friday evening). But we have doubts about going to the Opening Ceremony as we will play our 1st team match on Saturday against Indonesia. I will try to update some photos on Facebook tomorrow...

Tennis and Deepavali..

2010-11-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

First of all-Wishing you all a very Happy and Fun-filled Deepavali. Most of us have wonderful and fond memories of our younger days when Deepvali was celebrated with so much purity and passion. Nobody had to wake us up early. We were there in full vigor at 4 am or 5 am opening our boxes of firecrackers with so much excitement. Will our children ever feel that thrill? Sadly, a simple thrill of binging on sweets, wearing new clothes or lighting up one of those totally loud sounding crackers is, probably a thing of the past.

But then I am hoping, by recollecting these memories and showing my child how we relished these times, she will,one day understand the true meaning of Deepavali.
In our household, when my Grandfather,K.G.S as he was called, was alive, Deepavali was THE day in the year we all looked forward to. The excitement began at least a month in advance when we started buying firecrackers. These had to be dried in hot sun for it to be ready to burst. The moms and aunts were busy planning the sweets and goodies they would be preparing for this occasion. Buying sweets outside was not even considered. When I say sweets, there would be at least 5-8 different kinds with the same amount of spicy snacks too. Just thinking about it makes me nauseous now and I cant even imagine eating that many goodies now..

The Day before deepavali, all cousins gathered in our house for a big meal. We would start bursting the crackers, but would save the special ones for the early morning bout. The new clothes were special too.
On the day itself, we would be awake at about 4 am. With just one bathroom and everyone cramming to take a bath, it was quite a ruckus. The bath itself was of religious significance as it had to be done before sunrise.

We could barely wait to get started with the crackers. There were flower pots, spin wheels, cable cars,rockets, all kinds of crackers to loud sounding bombs. In between, we would go back and forth on the sweets and treats.
After that , we would visit our relatives and get their blessings. There were three houses of relatives and we lived next to each other,so there were a lot of aunts and uncles to seek blessings from!!

But the cherry on top for us(my bro and I), was the tennis that followed this celebration. The entire town was closed down for the day. But since my dad maintained a tennis court just for our tennis, we could play whenever we wanted. We didnt own the court, my dad just maintained it. The clay courts needed to be watered and rolled 3-4 times a week. Playing tennis and working hard even on Deepavali was something I will always cherish in my life. When I read Agassi's book about how he trained extra hard on New Year's Day when most of the world is trying to reover from parties, I had an inkling to what he was writing about!!!

Someday, I hope my little girl will do the same or at least feel what I feel about Deepavali. This is a special day and even though we are in a country that may not expereince this in all its might, the Spirit of Deepavali is still there.

No medal, but what an experience!!!

2010-10-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

One year back when I decided to play competitive tennis,all I had in mind was to play for India again.It was a huge dream.But it came true. But sometimes the mind gets greedy.After making the team, my goal was to win a medal.And I came dar close.Lost out on silver or gold by 2 games(5-7 in the 3rd set). I was devastated. I am not kidding!!!
Butthen you realize what an opportunity this was and what it is to play for India again. When I hear the Anthem being played, I get goosebumps. I so badly wanted to be on a podium,but then, the joy of actually competing at this level, is the biggest podium in the world.And I am so thankful for it. We lost the bronze medal match to Sania and Rushmi. In the 1 set, we had some chances, but the match slowly went away from o0ur hands. My partner was too overawed by our opponents to do any damage.
But now I am in Goa, taking a break for 2 days.And then I will head back to US. Thank you all for the support.Please post your comments on my blog.

Lost in semis, but will play for Bronze

2010-10-09T20:13:00.000-07:00

Our semi-final match against Aussie Jessica Moore and Rogowska was a nail biter to the finish with the Aussies playing a very tight 3rd set.We lost 7-5,3-6,5-7. It was an unbelievable atmosphere with the show court stands totally full and our entire crowd behinf us. Electric is what I would call it. Pooja and I fought very hard till the end and never gave up. But all credit to the Aussies who never made any unforced errors till the end.
Truth be told, I was hugely disappointed. I had another tough loss in mixed too.Yes,I was happy to be able to compete at the highest level, but losing the gold or silver by a whisker is hard to come to terms with.
Now we will play Sania and Rushmi for a bronze.Either way, India will get a bronze whether its our team or theirs. But this time, we might not have the crowd behind us:)
Do post your comments on the blog itself...would love to know your thoughts.

In Semis!!!

2010-10-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

Pooja and I practised around 1115 this morning to get geared up for our match against the 2nd seeded Brits,Sarah Borwell and Anna Smith.Sarah Borwell is ranked 60 in the world and Anna is the late 100s. Pooja and I knew we had a tough task.
The weather here in Delhi has been very humid, quite the contrary of what we expected Delhi weather to be. We started out rather poorly when we lost Pooja's service game in the 2nd game, but soon levelled the set at 2-2. But we stared the barrel of a couple of set points at 4-5 when Pooja was serving. But the 20 yr old from Mysore held her serve and her composure beautifully and we soon clinched the set at 7-5.
In the 2nd, we were on top of them the entire time and eevn though it looked a little close at 5-4,Pooja served really well to clinch us the match.Tomorrow, we play an Aussie pair who are the 3rd seeds. This win has ensured us a chance for a medal...it will be even better when we are guaranteed one tho:)

in quarters now

2010-10-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a fairly easy match against a team from Maldives. One of the girls who who is muslim wore a scarf over her head entire match and wore full pants. It was courageous of them to even come out and play.
Tomorrow we are up against the 2nd seeded British pair.We play 3rd after 10 am.

Oh,so close...

2010-10-05T00:25:00.000-07:00

In hindsight, many things become clear and it's even more frustrating!!!
My partner Rohan, was scheduled 2 matches within an hour of each other yesterday. But today, funnily, he has a day off. The first thing he says when I saw him this morning is-"Partner how are you?/I could've easily played a match today-dunno why I had to play 2 yesterday-that too within an hr of each other"!!! Baffling!!!
Now the match report- Let the truth be told- Rohan and I didnt get a chance to play any doubles practice matches before.It took us nearly first 4-6 games to get into the groove.After that, it looked good.My returns looked great, I barely missed many returns the entire match. My serve also started to land in and we cruised to a 5-0 lead in the 2nd set. We tied the match at 6-3. But the 3rd set was the trickiest.Rohan lost his service game in the 2nd game of the 3rd set.That proved too costly.We still came back from 1-4 to 3-4, but couldnt hold my serve that game.
I can say that I probably played one of the best matches and if we had better planned and practised together, we might have been in medal contention.......Oh well!!
Poojashree and I will begin our campaign later today in the Women's Doubles.

The Draw

2010-10-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

The mixed draw turned out to be the toughest for my partner Rohan Bopanna and me. We will play the top seeds Paul Hanley and Anastasia Rodianova from Australia in the very first round. We are scheduled to play 3rd after 10 am on Centre Court on Monday, 4th Oct.

In the women's doubles, Poojashree and I have a fairly easy 1st round, but might face the 2nd seeded British pair if we surpass the 1st hurdle.
But the highlight of my day today was an impromptu practice session with my mixed doubles partner. I was in the middle of a massage when our coach Rico called me and asked me if I can be on court in 10 min. There is nothing more I wanted at that moment.
I had a brilliant hitting session with Rohan and I finally felt like my entire game coming together. Hopefully I can bring it on and support Rohan on Monday in my match!!!!

The Games Village

2010-10-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

I went into the village with an open mind. But what I saw was nothing close to what the media portrayed.
OK- I have to agree that it sounds absurd that brand new apartments needed cleaning up!!! Barring that, the CWG Village is almost first class. I would give it a two thumbs up. The apartments are well designed and come with attached bathrooms.
The apartment where we are staying in comes well furnished with double beds and air conditioners.
The dining hall is simply fantastic. There are stalls with Indian, African,Asian, Continental foods and desserts and salad stalls too. The quality of food was equally good. Close to this hall is also the swimming pool which is covered and looks spectacular.I saw athletes relaxing and sun bathing there. We were wondering why they enjoy the blazing hot sun this much:)
The entertainment that the Village offers are also quite good.Some of the top rock bands in India are here.
I realize now that sometimes media overdoes it and totally misleads us. The CWG Village may have needed work, but it was totally blown out of proportion. Simple....

Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2089959&id=1429907124

Change in doubles teams

2010-09-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

The doubles pairings were changed last evening after practice.While I was supposed to partner Sania and Poojashree and Ruishmi would be together, there was another issue with that since I dont have a good ranking in doubles. If Sania were to partner me, we would not get seeded and could draw a tough team in the 1st round itself. So Rico decided that Rushmi and Sania will pair up and Poojashree and I will be the other team.It is a fair decision and keeping the country's medal chances in mind should be the only goal for anyone in the team.
Apart from that,I have to say something regarding the facilities,the stadium looks fabulous.We practiced under lights yesterday.The atmosphere looked electric, but for the bugs that were flying around. The lights attracted so many bugs, that it looked like a snowfall of bugs!!!
The other show courts are equally well done and the locker rooms and physio facilties are top notch. The doctor and physios are such a cool bunch and are so helpful,its actually amazing.I will be checking into the village today.
The draw will also be made today at 11 am.After that, we will know a lot more about schedules and such.
Sanjeev and Sahana are trying to keep busy by going to a park nearby that has some deer,peacocks and bunnies. They might go to Appu Ghar(amusement park) today. Sanjeev will get more help in 2 days when his parents arrive.....

Its a new day!!!

2010-09-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

I am in Delhi right now waiting for my accreditation to arrive,so I can be allowed to enter the stadium.And practice...
Day before,I received he good news that I would be playing the Women's doubles as well apart form the mixed event.It was Sania's decision if she wanted to play 3 events because she hadnt 100% recovered from her wrist injury. I am, of course, thoroughly excited to play 2 events.
I am currently staying in a hotel close to courts as Sahana and Sanjeev are here and I am just getting set up here.I might move into the village in the next day or 2.I will post some pictures too soon.Do post your comments here instead of facebook....

Coimbatore exists in a time warp

2010-09-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Now I understand why I even left this place. Coimbatore is in a time warp and is as if it was 20 years ago. The thinking, the mentality, the chauvinism, nothing changes here. Its as if clock froze twenty years ago!!!
The good part though is the tennis culture here.The clubs here are full of tennis enthusiasts who genuinely want kids to play tennis and will do their might to make that happen. There have been many times when members of Cosmopolitan Club would sacrifice their tennis,so I could prepare for a tournament.

But part of the reason why I even left this town was being taken for granted.Believe me,it is'nt fun trying to prove yourself on a day to day basis. And many times, it could also be the familiarity,that made people take you for granted. Just because I was their next door neighbor who won National titles didnt mean that standard of tennis was poor. Of course, everyone isnt like that.There are exceptions....

Countdown begins

2010-09-25T21:12:00.001-07:00

I am now in India and getting geared up for the CWG 2010.
The most common (totallly obvious) question to me-is about the preps and all the hoopla about the Games and the actual problems that surfaced in the last few days.
My answer has been the same from the first time somebody asked me- The Games will happen. And everything will come together!!! It always does! But, will it showcase our might as a super power in the Sports Arena?? That, is for another day:)

Oh well

2010-09-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a big let down, to say the least. I wont mince words here- I probably played the worst I have played since I started playing again.I held my serve ONCE the entire match!!! Can you believe it? My movement was sluggish, my serve was totally off and I was missing way too much. And she, played steady and focussed tennis every single point.
If I had played my best, I might have had a good shot or at least playing 3 sets, but with my serve all broken down and me not winning any easy points off it, I really had no chance at all whatsoever. Amanda Mcdowell beat me 6-2,6-1. That was it-plain and simple.
The most touching moment was when Sahana started crying after my loss. She was feeling way worse for me than what I felt myself!! These are small things that makes it all worth it. Of course,I would have preferred a win, totally!! But hey, what the heck.You win some and you lose some....thats life.
Tomorrow is a new day and we play our quarter-finals of doubles. Cheerioooo

doubles is fun

2010-09-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

Ellen Tsay and I won our first round against 3rd seeds. Ellen and I started out in good nick right away. We broke them the very first game and then had our noses in front the entire first set.Ellen is great at the net, very adept at putting away volleys while I am quite decent at setting up those volleys.So,I guess, we make a good team.Lets see how far we get.
One thing thats annoying though, is that I only play one match a day.After last weekend's outing where I played 10 matches in 3 days, this seems a bit slooooooooow. But, I am not complaining.
Tomorrow,I play singles against Amanda Msdowell,another qualifier who won the NCAA title a couple of years back.From what I hear,she is a hard hitter...should be interesting and I can't wait. I will be on 1st match at 10 am...and if you are reading this, please post your comments/wishes on the blog itself.I would love to know what you think!

Was'nt as easy...

2010-09-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today,I qualified into the main draw of the 25K in Redding. This will be the 3rd of the main draw tournaments I have played in the past year which mean this-I WILL BE ON THE COMPUTER RANKINGS IN A WEEK!!!! I am surely thrilled beacuse after 7 yrs,I will enter the frame. I surely have no idea if I will be able to keep this ranking... but hey, have to start some where, no??
Yesterday's match was a breeze,I actually wasnt even timing the ball good. But today,I played decent, but my opponent was this 6 foot lanky lass from Southern California- one of the top juniors in the state. I have to say- she really impressed me.
Brianna Morgan served and volleyed on her 1st and 2nd serve the entire match. Her serve was surely powerful with a kick and believe me,I wasnt passing her as much as I'd like to. The thing that was a stand out aspect was how she stayed mentally with me even in the 2nd set when I was up a break.I was a bit nervous by the way she was so free with her stroked and her game. If she is groomed properly- she could be top 50 in the WTA's no doubt.
Tomorrow I get a day off from singles and play doubles first round main draw with Ellen Tsay-another girl who is half my age!!! Might be helpful to run down the lobs:)...

Terrible Modern Day Journalism

2010-09-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

Venus Williams, as you all know, lost in 3 sets on a windy day to Kim Clijsters. Kim, fighting from jaws of defeat, fought her way back and raced to the final. In the post match press conference, some crazy dude asks Venus-if her career is over?? Now- hello!!!! This is just one match and its the semi-finals of US Open where Venus just lost to someone who handled pressure and winds better on that day...So what kind of a stupid question is that?? Quit tennis-because of losing one match??? Venus herself, may have doubts after this loss, no doubt. And then Martina Navratilova comes on tennis channel- Oh-I know what it feels to hit 30 yrs old, now it is very tough for Venus. Where is the gray area here?? As I have said before- it doesnt have to be black or white always!!!

Now this is something else..
There was an article in a pretty low profile paper in India and trust me, it was pure coincidence of a rare kind that I even came across this particular news piece.

This was about more than 3 weeks ago while I was training 5 hours a day at the tennis camp in Balewadi.
The article was quoted as " Nirupama Sanjeev as she now prefers to be known was Nirupama Vaidyanathan when she was at her peak and studying in the United States. Some nine years ago when she was most sought after woman player in India Nirupama found no time for the country. Those days we had very few ITF tournaments and national championship was prestigious at least for the sentimental value, but Nirupama’s patriotism never showed up then. No doubt she came once in a while but then those were prize money tournaments and then she vanished only to reappear last year."

Needless to say,I was livid. Apart froma personal attack on my patriotism, this author seemed to have taken a personal grudge against me.
*Firstly, He never bothered to research his article-Any quick google on me would have showed up that I had most appearances for Fed Cup for India, played 2 Asian Games and Olympics for India. Does this dude even know what it is like to do something without ever getting paid for it?
*Secondly, if writing about CWG Games and its preparation- wont a responsible journalist at least come to watch us and then write opinions?
* I dont recall playing ANY prize money tournaments in India since 1994.I quit playing seriously in 2003.
* I think if he ever wants to feel "PATRIOTIC" ( sorry-I am still quite edgy with that word), he should start by being a responsible journalist first. What do you all say???
Can somebody like him even understand what it is like to play 12 years for India without any expectations??????

The author, who I am told, is even the Sports Editor of that paper!!!!

Good outing on the weekend!!!

2010-09-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

My match against the 16 yr old prodigy and "Lady McEnroe" started at 9 am. Arun, my mixed doubles partner warmed me up for 10 minutes and I felt ready. Desirae Krayczak aka Baby Bullet( she supposedly acquired that name when she was 7 yrs old ina tournament as she was hitting a really hard ball), is a very talented young girl.A lefty with such crafty hands is definetly a rarity, so I have to admit- she is a good doubles player. But will she beat me in singles??? That was the question nagging me throughout.
We started out quite even, her lefty serve was tricky.She kept jamming me by serving into my body. But very soon, I held my own on my serve with 3 aces. I soon acclimatised and was starting to drive my groundies totally out of her reach. I soon raced to a 5-2 lead.then she started wilting.And started almost handing me points in a plate. After that there was no stopping me barring a couple of games which went to duece.I beat her 6-2,6-0.
The big pitfall with talented players these days is that, tennis comes so easy to them that, they forget the amount of hardwork that has to go into this. She wasnt willing to grind out the big points with me and opted for low percentage shots like drop shots,etc.
But coming back to the dad, he was'nt as crazy as I had earlier thought him to be. But by now,I hope he gets it, that talking his head off isn't a great idea all the time. He should even realize his own daughter might be embarassed by these things.

I then partnered Desirae to play a seasoned Cal Poly doubles team in the final.We won it 6-3,6-3. Arun and I joined to play the mixed where we lost the 1st set, but recovered well to win the 2nd and 3rd set. I had played 10 matches in 3 days...so how is my body feeling?? Sore, I can assure you, but not as bad as I had expected.I feel like I could easily play another couple of sets today. But then I didnt. I relaxed on my day off and got some household work done. Now,I surely feel rejuvenated. I have my next tournament in Redding,CA this upcoming weekend.

Annoying Dad

2010-09-06T07:14:00.000-07:00

I don’t ever recall a dad of an opponent telling me that I would lose to his daughter the next day. But today I did meet one of most bizarre people on this planet, a guy who is so annoying and eccentric all at the same time.
First of all,I did start off by winning 2 singles matches. I can fairly summarize that I played well and was settying up points beautifully. My first opponent Lauren Stratman was 16 yrs old and I beat her 6-1,6-1 and my semi-final opponent was a seasoned Cal Poly college player Suzanna Matenzauer.I was leading 6-1,4-0 when she retired.
Then I played womens doubles with Desirae Karyzwak and we beat 2 teams and will play our final tomorrow. But the match of the day was the mixed doubles one where I had to play against my doubles partner and tomorrow’s final opponent. Arun and I were down 1-6 when she turned the match around and beat them 9-8 in a tie-break.The doubles matches were all 8 game pro sets. That did feel good, but luck is a huge factor too…
That’s when my partner/opponent’s dad tells me that I will lose to his daughter tomorrow in singles and how she is a female version of McEnroe!!! Can you believe it? I just smiled and told him”Dream On”. I hope I can bring it on tomorrow and keep up my words…
Finally, how is my body actually feeling? Yes,I am hurting.Yes I do need painkilers. But, I will have a few days break before the next tournament.So I am going to try to push myself today.Will post everything tomorrow…

Milk Powder comes in handy

2010-09-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

Today was an interesting one with us taking a trip down to the Central Coast for a weekend tournament. While I was so diligent in packing things for my daughter, I was totally careless and utterly unplanned with regard to myself. I have told many of my students how prepared they need to be for a match, but today I was possibly the worst in that regard.
I started playing a singles match against a 15 yr old junior player. Halfway through,I felt a bit weak and needed energy. Poring through my racquet bag, I could not find anything to eat.I did'nt even pack a gatorade....hmmm.This was interesting. Then, out of the blue, I dig out Sahana's milk powder packet.I scoop a few spoonfuls into a cup and mix water to get my energy level up. I ended up winning the match 6-4,6-0. That girl did play well in the 1st set.
In the afternoon,Arunprakash and I won our first round mixed doubles against two top juniors in this area.Thankfully doubles and mixed are a 8 game pro set format. If i keep winning,I may end up playing 5 matches tomorrow.God Save Me!!!!!

21 August,2010

2010-08-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

I am back home in Coimbatore. The news has just sunk in that I made the cut for the CWG. I am obviously totally elated and thoroughly thrilled. After Busan Asian Games in 2002, this will be my 1st chance to wear the tricolor in 8 years. My last competitive match before retiring was 2003 U S Open.
So, yes, it feels awesome to be named in the squad.But of course winning a medal for India would be the ultimate.
But I have to say,it is not easy to plan for tournaments and travel when you are travelling with a 4 yr old. And the Federation and Ministry officials here dont make things easy either.Everything is delayed and has to pass many levels of red tape. This saddens me more than anything else.
The top news with the top male players not receiving monetary compensation make everything look real bad. The easy way out would be to pay them their dues, but if, only things were that simple....
I hope to play some tournaments in US, if the tickets get approved by the AITA before the Commonwealth Games.

From Balewadi,Pune-15 August,2010

2010-08-15T03:00:00.000-07:00

Its been a few weeks since I updated,so felt I should give a quick update to everyone.I am here in Pune for the final team selection Camp for the CWG 2010. While the Camp itself was supposed to begin on the 2nd August, the actual one didnt start till the 5th and in earnest till the 8th august. I have been in Pune since the 4th August with my parents and Sahana.
When you reside in the US, you tend to stick to schedules and times. In India, its a different ball game. Not that I didnt know about it, I have just forgotton these things. And in the sports field, its probably even worse.
All said and done, our camp has been quite enjoyable. This is what a tennis nut woould call a tennis retreat.There are no tvs and no internet in the rooms. we play about 5 hrs of tennis a day and then hit the gym. We also have a trainer, physio and a masseur for ther team. Ten years back, this was unheard of.
My tennis itself has gotton sharper.We also have the best coaches in the country to get us sharp. My team mates in the camp have also been a lot of fun.After such a long break, I am able to appreciate the time that I get here and am truly enjoying the tennis apsects of this camp.
My parents have been a huge help as keeping Sahana occupied and busy isnt easy here. She takes long walks witht hem int he sports complex and goes flower picking everyday. Sahana was particularly thrilled about seeing small frogs and worms that wander about in the rainy season.
I think we will have another week here before the team gets selected. We have been playing some matches here to gauge our levels.I am keeping my fingers crossed...

4th July 9 pm - Match update from Fuzhou

2010-07-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

I lost a close match today in the 2nd round qualies in Fuzhou. I lost to Jin 4-6,6-0,3-6 with the match lasting 2.5 hrs.
I was surely better prepared for the heat as compared to the last match. My opponent was not the stereo type Chinese player. This girl could slice, come to the net and had a lot of variety. She started the set well,was making me move around with her slice. I was able to raise my game in the 2nd set mainly because I decided to hit the serves harder. I did put up a good fight int he 3rd when I was down 1-3, but could not outlast her and my resolve started to break at 4-3 in the final set. Overall,I felt that my game was on par with these girls and though I never wanted to talk about the "H" word, unfortunately, it did come down to that. The heat did play a huge role and I will need to be in better physical shape to beat the 16-17 year olds in their turf.

Among the 40-50 Chinese girls here, almost 98% of them are huge potential for the next few years. And these are the unranked bunch who are waiting to make it to the next rung. There are already more than a handful of them between 200 and 600 in the world. China will become the next tennis superpower in the women in the next 5 years. I think India and even the USA can take a lot of cues from the Chinese Tennis Federation.

July 2nd 8:45 p.m. - Update from Fuzhou

2010-07-02T06:35:00.000-07:00

I am in the City of Fuzhou, which is a seaport in Southern China. My flight into Fuzhou had enough tennis players and so I just tagged along with them from Airport to the hotel. It would surely been a challenge otherwise as the airport is about 40 kms from here and there were no taxis at the airport. Just shuttle buses to the city from which point on, one had to catch taxis onwards to their final destination.

I landed late last night and today was just a practice and sign-in day.The courts are a lot slower than Hefei, but the weather is hotter and more humid. In fact, it was 41 degrees Celsius this morning when we practiced with about 70-80% humidity. It cools down a bit in the evenings due to the sea breeze. I practiced twice today and when I went to sign-in, the same referee from last week seemed quite genial. He even asked me if the Indian Tennis Federation was doing enough to help me with the travel.

One thing I have learned in the past week in China is when a hotel has the word “International” in it, BEWARE!!!! It usually means that they probably don’t speak a word of English and do not conform to international standards. Like my current hotel, people who work at the front desk or the restaurant do not comprehend a word of English. Many of the Chinese players now have become my friends and don’t seem to mind playing the interpreter.

Food is definitely a problem here for me. The free buffet breakfast is, to say the least, “interesting” as they don’t even have bread or cereal. I guess last week’s hotel spoiled us quite a bit since it was an international chain of hotels, almost everyone spoke English and even the restaurant had enough continental cuisine.

The draw came out a few minutes ago and guess what-I have a bye!!!!! So no match for me tomorrow.I guess I will play on Sunday. One more day to get acclimatized to the conditions…

June 30th 5:15 pm

2010-06-30T05:50:00.000-07:00

On a more lighter note, one of my friends here Tatia Mikadze from Goergia and I were having lunch a few hours ago. I ordered a Spicy Beef Noodle(without the beef) as I am still a vegetarian. Tatia ordered chicken and rice in a clay pot. It sounded pretty interesting and straightforward. But when it came and she opened the clay pot, I asked her “what’s that”? Something in there looked black and long and in an instant I burst out laughing. I said “Tatia,I am so sorry, it’s your lunch, I know, but I can’t help it”. I was still laughing when Tatia prodded and found a pair of blackened chicken feet in the clay pot of rice!!!!! Honestly, sorry to those who relish chicken feet, but that was utterly and simply gross!!!

In her slight Russain accent, she shakes her head and tells me “ The menu should have said Chicken and chicken feet with rice in a clay pot”……. To say the least, Tatia did not even touch the dish and had to walk out.

I leave for the next city of Fuzhou tomorrow afternoon. The next one is a $25,000 and I will play the qualies there.

June 30th 1:00 pm

2010-06-29T22:30:00.001-07:00

I lost to the 7th seed Qiang Wang 6-3,7-5.

The conditions today were different a bit from the past few days. It was sweltering heat, on court temperature was about 98-100 degrees f. Humidity was 90%. This was at 10 a.m. It only got hotter.

I also didn’t get much sleep last night mainly because of my asthma. It affects me very rarely when I am either exhausted or in cold weather. But I do not attribute this for my loss today.

Today I started out rather poorly and that cost me the match. I got broken in the 4th game of the first set and soon she was leading 4-1. I also took a Motrin for my groin which was starting to bother me very early on. I held my serve twice after that, but could never break her in the 1st set.

I was starting to feel drowsy in the 2nd set, possibly because of the motrin. Every long point we had ,felt like I was running a 400m sprint in 100 degree weather. Of course, I knew at this time it was more mental than physical. So I decided in the 2nd set that even if I go down, I will at least fight hard. By then I was down 1-4.

I had gone to the supermarket yesterday and had bought some baby powder. That was so useful today when my hands were so slippery from the sweat and I could barely hold my racquet. For the first time in the match, I broke her serve and held mine to level the match at 4-4. I was definitely in better position, but still couldn’t hold my serve at 4-4. I broke her serve again to level it 5-5, but was too spent to hit my usual serves. Whenever we had long rallies, both of us needed at least 25-30 seconds to recover. She did serve better throughout the match, while I was just serving to keep it in.

All in all, it was a good experience. But the crux of the matter is if my intensity had been better in the 1st set,I might have had a better shot at her. I don’t think under these conditions,I could have lasted a 3rd set. In my favour, though, I felt I was on par with this girl and tomorrow if I played her- the outcome maybe different.

June 28th 6:15 p.m. - 3rd match

2010-06-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

I won my match 6-0,6-1 to qualify into the main draw, but it didn’t come without its frills. It was also a mega humid day here in Hefei. Even before I stepped on court,I felt like I was in a hot shower.

My opponent looked like she was hurting from the time she stepped on court. She huffed and puffed through the first set when I completely dominated her at 6-0. She then almost collapsed into her chair and asked for the trainer.Five minutes of that and a pill later for God knows what, came her Kevin-Spacey-style-Oscar winning performance where she transformed herself into a complete weakling, unable to continue. I thought she was going to give up, but nope. She continues and serves to hold her serve for the first time in the match. She is still hobbling between the points. For me, its highly distracting. I just don’t know what to expect from her. Then I hold serve and go up 2-1 and then she decides to take a bathroom break where she can barely walk without help. She comes back and puts up a spirited effort and those 2 games were the longest in the match, but I step up for a4-1 lead. Her theatrics are still not over.She calls for the trainer again. The ref reminds her that she cant call the trainer for the same injury twice. She then feigns some injury to her knee and gets that treated for another 5 min to buy time. I decided she was just delaying the inevitable. Finally I closed out the match at 6-1.

While her stalling and feigning injuries really annoyed me, if I was her coach,I would be quite happy with her. Why- because she did everything within the rules of tennis and took advantage of all the small loopholes to try to change the course of the match. Now the only thing is that if this had been a more close match, it might have altered the outcome of things.

So, 3 matches later-I am finally in the draw.I will play a Chinese 7th seeded player possibly on Wednesday. I have requested for 1 day off, so my body can recover a bit. I try to catch an Indian movie on the net in the evenings and since Yahoo and Google talk work, I am saved. Otherwise it would be difficult to be here without much to do in the evenings.

27 June 6:30 pm

2010-06-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

Phew! I pulled it through with a tough win 7-6,6-4 over Boyan Wang from China.

Today was a weird schedule and I did not plan it very well. My match was 3rd after 10 am.The first match finished at 1 p.m and the 2nd match finished only at 3:15 pm. I did not eat much before the match and so felt a bit weak in the end.

But all said and done,I got up to a 3-0 lead. My opponent was a teeny-weeny firecracker. She started to really play after 3 games where she would step in and return my serve with ease and deflect it away from me. When someone takes the ball so early, the ball just takes off. Many points, she would reel winners left and right. She broke my serve at 3-0 and held hers for 3-2. I then steeped up and held my serve to go for a 4-2 and then a 5-3 lead. She held her serve and then came the worst game possibly of my match. I served for the set at 5-4 and until then, I was serving fairly well. I didn’t double fault…until then. Call it nerves, call it lack of matches, whatever the hell it was, it wasn’t good. I served 2 double faults that game and then she leveled the match at 5-5. She held her serve and so I served to stay in the 1 set. That game was a very long service game of mine, where I decided to take the pace off and hit my 1st serve it. I think that’s what won me my set and the match eventually. I served to her body, but actually did stare at the barrel of 2 set points. I clung on somehow and brought it to a tie-break.

Tiebreak was a smooth ride and she made 2 double faults and I won it at 7-1. The second set was fairly straight forward with us holding serves for the most part and I clinching it at 5-4. Small drama there was when she served 15-40, my string broke and she saved one match point. But I probably played the best point of the second set at 30-40 and cliniched the set and match. That surely was a relief. My amtch was about 2 ½ hrs long.Next up is my final round of qualifying which will be the 2nd match tomorrow against Xin Ji. Let’s see how my body holds up. This will be a good test.

Tue June 22nd

2010-06-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hours before my trip, my father-in-law showed me a report on torrential rains hitting the city of Fuzhou, China and people being evacuated there. This was some cause for concern for me as Fuzhou is where the 2nd tournament will be held. The reason for me choosing to go all the way around the world was that I get to play 2 tournaments back to back-something I haven’t done is 10 years!!! Now is Fuzhou is under water, should I even go?? I later learnt that there are 2 cities in China by the same name and the tournament city is not affected.
My trip to China itself was decided in the last week. I wanted to play the 10ks in Thailand, but was out of qualies there. So I decided to play China. I bought a ticket, and got a Chinese visa in the last 4-5 days. By now, everyone at home had gotten used to my last minute change of plans. Thank God for that!!
My brother Ganesh promised to take care of the summer camps while I am gone. Our summer camps run in 2 different locations simultaneously, so this would be a tough few weeks for him.
Its now 5 pm. Now it hits me. I am going to miss my little girl. I have never been this long away from her. The last time I was away from her was about a week and I was just in US. Now I would be halfway around the world….. The only solace is that she is in fantastic hands. Sanjeev’s parents really dote on her and she is so comfortable with them. Hopefully she will not miss me too much.
June 23rd: I am on a plane to Taipei and will change planes twice before I will arrive in Hefei,China. After a 14 hr plane ride, I had a brutal 6 hour layover in Taipei before boarding my plane to Guangzhou. Now I didn’t have much choice in these reservations as everything last minute was totally expensive.
June 24th:Once I got to Guangzhou,I was briefly stopped by the immigration. My heart stopped for a second as China is not a country I wanted to be taken aside and interrogated. But thankfully, they just wanted to see my residency card of the USA.
I was supposed to have just 1 hr to switch planes to Hefei, but there was some serious storm brewing outside. I had not seen this kind of thunder and lightning and so all the planes were delayed indefinitely. I could barely keep my eyes open and after a 3 hour wait, everybody seems to be rushing.I thought that maybe our plane would finally depart only to find that they were distributing free dinner!!! Oh well! That seemed to keep most of the antsy people quiet for sometime while they had dinner!!!
After nearly 4 hours, we finally boarded the plane. Only to find that the weather had gotten bad again and we would not take –off for the next 3 hours. That was the most excruciating wait. I longed for a comfortable bed to sleep on. When I finally arrived into hefei at 130 am, I had to take taxi to the hotel. Except the driver had completely no idea where to go. He couldn’t even read the directions in English.Oh Boy!! I am surely in trouble here. Thanfully he had a cell phone and called the hotel number to get directions.
When I finally arrived there, the lady at the front desk tells me she has no room available. The was the last straw. I have never shed tears for these things when I was on tour. I have been through a lot worse while I was alone travelling in Europe. Man- I have had close calls… but now everything is a bit different. Maybe I have softened up a bit. Life in the US is certainly hectic, but very plush and very comfortable.
But now I am close to tears. I am in strange country stuck at 2 am without a room. But thankfully the lady called up another hotel for me and arranged a taxi for me to go there. Sanjeev had also been terribly worried and I was finally able to get a hold of him to inform him that I was safe. Now I am here….all I have to do is play some good tennis!!!!
June 25th: The sign in was supposed to be today.I was 4 out of the main draw. I prayed for some divine intervention which would allow me to get into the main draw directly, but I guess I didn’t pray hard enough!!
After the draw was made, I found that out of nearly 45 girls in the draw, I was one of the four people who didn’t get a bye. Now what this meant was, I had to win 3 matches to qualify, while the others just had to win just 2. Of course, I was furious. I was no 3 in the acceptance list, so why didn’t I get a bye? Just then I got a call from US and spoke to my girl for a few minutes. Sahana lightened me up so much by her talk about Snow White, that this became so trivial.
I still intend to confront the referee at some point….
June 26th: But now I had more important matters at hand. I had to perform at the best of my ability. I was drawn to play a Chinese girl called Leo Zhang. While I was waiting for my matches, a mother of one of the players asked me how old I was. Nowadays, I am not liking that question. I asked her to guess my age. She said 23. My day was made. When I told her my real age, she looked totally surprised.
My match began around 1130 am. The weather was humid and hot. Just the weather I like..There were not that many spectators. I was happy with the way I was striking the ball. The courts are a bit slower and bounce is quite high. I soon broke her serve in the 3rd game. After that I started gaining control of the match. I didn’t lose my serve the whole match,so I was happy with that. She did put up some more resistance in the 2nd set, but I felt I chose my shots wisely. I only went for broke if I had a clear shot of it. So I won my match 6-1,6-1. I know I am having a good feel and my timing is good, but my cause for concern is if I will have the fitness and if I can recover in time for each match? That is, if I continue to win……Tomorrow I play 3rd match of the day. Lets see if I can pull that one too….

Why does it have to be Rafa or Roger?

2010-06-06T12:00:00.001-07:00

This is the question running through my mind this entire fortnight. Why cant I just be neutral and really rejoice the tennis of these two extraordinary men?Of course, they both are two ends of the spectrum. Rugged and ruffian like, Rafa exudes power, stamina and sheer might. Roger on the other hand, demonstrates finesse, touch and class and everything else that Rafa doesnt.
Being a former player myself, though nowhere close to that calibre,(I must add)I dont take sides. I dont have favourites. The best player wins on that day. I dont understand hero worship. I can admire a perfectly executed shot or go gaga over one of the longest rallies at the French, but taking sides kills the thrill, in my view.
The other day one of the parents came up to me and told me that he cannot even watch Federer's matches as the tension is overwhelming and his blood pressure rises.And then comes all the sad smiley faces posted on facebook page when Federer lost to Soderling.
What is it about Federer that makes grown men cry and feel so sensitive? He is surely not a man's man. Not muscular. Not all that handsome. Not flashy. No,not one bit flashy. Is it because, for 6 years straight, he was featured in the semi-final of every Grand Slam or is it his mastery of almost every shot in the book? Or could it be that he is just a perfectly clean tennis player? Devoid of any gossip or scandals? Does he ever not get injured? Mind boggling. Just think one minute....
He didnt miss a Grand Slam in almost 6 years and got to the last four in all of them....And without a regular coach.
Rafa's fans are just as vociferous . My fitness trainer exclaimed today" Rafa won it again".He is "The Man". To me, what makes Rafa stand apart from his many peers is the way he adapted his game to suit grass. There have been some real serious clay court icons like Bruguera and Guga. But what makes Rafa special is the way he served and volleyed his way against Roger in Wimbledon in 2008. That blows me away.
Both these guys are spectacular and amazing personalities. I still can't pick my favorite out of these.....

18 May 2010

2010-06-04T20:00:00.001-07:00

We qualified and played 2 Canadian girls. It was easy, but Malika and I combined well and won a 3 setter to advance into the quarters. We had a day off which I decided to use to get the Meilus therapy done.
Meilus is a truly ground breaking machine that relieves sore muscles by elongating them. I tried it the first time in Florida a year ago recommended by my former coach and friend Dave O Meara. The results were quite amazing.
In California, there are no experts using this machine. So I went an hour away to a doctor who practices the meilus therapy. I was not disappointed.

17 May 2010

2010-06-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

My second round is against Magda from the country of Georgia. Its interesting that I have to mention it-there is a state in the Us called Georgia and most people here have never even heard of the Country of Georgia!!!
She looked like she was built of iron. She started out hitting the ball pretty hard. Her serves were not that big, but effective enough. I had a tough time keeping up with the pace of her shots after about 7-8 rallies. I realized this and tried to mix up the pace of the shots. I did win a few extra points this way. But it was quite apparent that she had more firepower than me today.She beat me 6-2,6-3.
The most interesting thing was Magda had a pet teddy bear she carried with her everywhere,including on court.I joked with her after the match, that if my 4 yr old little girl saw it-she would immediately want to play with it.
Malika and I signed up for doubles and made it to the qualies. We had a qualifying match later that day which we won with ease.

16 May 2010

2010-05-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

I requested to play the 2nd set of matches.My body is still in Cali time- 3 hours behind. So my body thinks 8 am Eastern time is actually 5 am. I have not hear much about my opponent except that she has played 3-4 tournaments on the pro circuit last year. Most the players seem to be young- very very young.
Women's circuit is very different form the men's in the age of the players. Majority of the girls are in their teens
.I practice for about 30 minutes and get warmed up. The trainer also stretches my shoulder which acts up once in a while.
I have to say that i am a bit nervous.This comes from lack of playing matches. I enter the court and start out the match by receiving serve.I barely make unforced errors and soon I win the first 4 games. The fourth game was a very long one when she rushed to the net and put away a volley winner to win a game. I then stepped it up and wont he set and the match 6-1,6-1. My kick serves worked very well and I felt good overall.

15 May 2010

2010-05-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

The sign in starts at 3 pm when all qualifying players register themselves. While I was registering,I was pleased to see Bunny and Missy, the USTA circuit supervisors there.They remembered me instantly and we spoke like it was a decade ago.Their warmth and affection is so contagious.
Malika and I struck a cord and practised together. She goes to Oklahoma State University is just 18 years old.
I get drawn against a player from USA and will play 2nd match after 9 am on 16th May.

14th May 2010 5 pm EST

2010-05-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

I arrived at the Harrisburg International Airport. The tournament had arranged transport for players to be driven tot he tournament site. We waited for one of the other players, called Malika.I thought she must be a fellow Indian, but she turned out to be an African american teenager called Malika Rose. As soon as we started speaking,I knew we would get along.
Once we got to the courts, Malika and I decided to practice a bit before we went to the hotel. There was a tornado warning in the county and sky darkened like it was doomsday. Rain poured down and that was that....
I checked into the tournament hotel which was a bit expensive for such a small tournament. While I was on tour years earlier,I would call ahead and try to find family housing. I have had lasting friendships with families I have stayed with before.But now,all I want is a quiet room.

14th May 2010

2010-05-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

Its 3:30 am and before the alarm rings,I am already up.I have never been a good sleeper. Insomnia runs in my blood. On tour, there were days when I could not sleep without popping a sleeping pill. The time differences and jet lag were not helping either.
My flight to the East Coast is in 2 hrs. I took a long look at my baby, sleeping in her bed. I feel a pang, a sense of sadness to leave my sunshine for a few days. Then I tell myself " Its just 4-5 days until I see her again".
While Sanjeev was driving me to the airport, my mind is racing over the checklist of things that have to be done with my academy.I send a few texts and some e-mails from my phone. As my plane soars, I start dreaming of competing again. That is the one thought that keeps a player going, the excitment and the adrenalin rush one feels before a match. To go there and give it all you have....
I have been training for a few months now. My training regimen is very different from what it was 10 years ago. I play tennis about 4 days a week and each session is not more than 2 hrs. I lift weights to stay injury free and run long distance for stamina about once a week. My main aim to come to the best of my game and stay healthy and injury free.

My last competitive match before my comeback was in 2003 US Open qualifying.I was done, burnt out from the travel and tired of playing with a sore shoulder every match. That seems eons ago.
I played a 50K in Pune last year and faired decent.I had a good win against a Slovenian ranked in the 400s before losing to Tamarin Tanasugarn. The redeeming factor in that match was that I had lost to Tammy in Fed Cup by the same scoreline a decade ago, like nothing had changed.
Back to present- the 10ks are the tournaments you start with when you have no ranking. The bottom rung, the first step of a tennis pro ..... and here I am in the qualifying draw of a 10k in Pennsylvania. In US, the draw sizes are humungous, with 3 or 4 rounds to qualifying into the main draw. So if I were to win this tournament, I would have to get past about 8 matches in a week. 8 matches in a week........one step at a time baby.

Exciting Women's Tennis

2008-05-29T13:27:00.001-07:00

The power houses of Venus and Serena Williams, Sharapova and Henin have brought unpredictability and excitement into Women’s Tennis. Women’s tennis had always been branded as a monotonous one, so this situation is long awaited. These Ladies are the modern tennis icons whose names are listed in finals of the past 9 grand slam events. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Amelie Mauresmo and Ivanovic are tagging very closely, but are yet to match the records of the players above. Rivalries are always scrutinized closely, but with so many star players, it only makes for more exciting days ahead.Migrating to a foreign country at seven years to become a tennis star may be a page out of a fairy tale for some, but for Maria Sharapova the fantasy became a reality. Clutching on to nothing but a dream is downright scary in today’s world, but what gets them going is those streaks of genius that are visible from early on. 2005 was a stellar year for Maria having won the Wimbledon and US Open. Her speed on court is not one of her strengths, but her single-minded focus and intensity is admired by peers alike. Chris Evert says “Maria Sharapova is an excellent pressure player and she reacts the best of all the current players.” While Steffi Graf was busy winning her Golden Slam in 1988, eight year old Venus Williams recorded an astounding 5:30 minute mile and was matching shot for shot with older promising kids. Richard Williams declared to the world that his daughters Venus and Serena would rule the tennis world. The words of Richard were followed by an intense training regimen of six hours a day during their teen years at the Rick Macci Academy in Florida. Richard Williams dreamt of building an annihilating tennis machine in Venus and Serena and in terms of power and aggression. Many might have thought him a bit boastful, but his words came to light in 2002 when they were ranked 1 and 2 in the rankings.Venus almost defies the law of gravity when she pounds that swinging volley from mid air which is so effective on grass. Serena’s wing span combined with her sheer tenacity makes her a daunting opponent for any person. They have won 14 grand slam singles titles between them, with Serena leading in the winners tally. The downside to the sisters is that they have many off court distractions and have a limited playing schedule.In contrast, Justine Henin appeals to the common player as she is more slender and petite in size, but makes it up with her foot speed. A notable aspect in her game is her fluent single handed backhand which is a rarity among the women today. Her achievement at no. 1 in the ranking has come after winning 3 out of the past four grand slams. Wimbledon is the only grand slam that has evaded her so far. John McEnroe says she is the player on the tour whom he most enjoys watching, and has compared her career to his, in terms of her need to outsmart and outplay bigger and stronger opponents. Clay is especially her favorite surface having won the French Open for the past 3 years.Standing just 5 feet four inches tall, Billie Jean King captured six Wimbledon and four US Open titles with her serve and volley game .She was also monumental in starting the Women’s Tennis Association. Incorporating fitness into a regimen was first brought about by the legendary Martina Navratilova. Few might know that at one time she was called the GREAT WIDE HOPE by a journalist owing to her flabby structure. Her trademark serve and volley game needed extraordinary fitness and she thus ruled Wimbledon for nine years .Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova had similar styles of play ,but are not easy to emulate in today’s tennis due to more powerful return of serves and ground strokes. Their compatriot and arch rival Chris Evert was completely the other end of the spectrum. She brought a feminine touch to tennis and was called Ice Maiden due to her cool composure. Her flat and precise ground strokes won her many French Open titles. Power was an element missing at that time.The next generation of players like Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Martina Hingis had a blend of both power and finesse. Steffi Graf will be remembered as the only player in the world with a golden grand slam which includes the Olympics as well. Evert has said that Graf's forehand was "the best in women's tennis". Billie Jean King said in 1999 that she considered Graf to be the greatest female tennis player ever. Navratilova said in 1996, "Steffi is the best all-around player of all time, regardless of the surface."Steffi Graf’s array of accomplishments might have been a few less if Monica Seles had not been stabbed. Seles was the one nemesis for Steffi Graf even at her prime. Monica Seles’s acute angles combined with her signature double handed shots of both sides made her unequalled at one time. In my opinion Steffi and Monica were the two players who could have given the Williams sisters, Sharapova and Henin a run for their money. Martina Hingis could have been a threat with her magnificent ball feel and guile but against the Williamses power, she wilted. She also had her share of injuries to deal with.All the girls who play today may have stumbled upon the sport, but luckily for them they had been singled out and trained by professionals from a very early age. Sharapova, Henin and the Williams sisters have been known to have picked up a racquet as early as four years old. Incredibly, Serena won 46 out of 49 tournaments she competed in before the age of 12.Her first tournament was when she was four and a half years old!!!!In today’s Women’s tennis, consistency with power on the ground strokes is a must. Glaring weaknesses are immediately trampled upon and net game is almost void. Powerful racquets and stronger players have made the serve and volley style of game almost non-existent. Off-Court fitness like pliometrics, medicine ball drills, sand running are all normal training routines today. Weight lifting is equally incorporated not only to build muscles but also to avoid injury. Players travel with an entourage-a fitness expert, a physiotherapist, parents, coach, agent, psychologist, and so on. If we were to play fantasy match-ups, I would choose for a Navratilova-Serena Williams or a Graf-Venus Williams on grass, Chris Evert- Hingis on clay and a Sharapova-Seles on hard courts. It is only speculation, but Sharapova and the Williams sisters might have had the upper hand owing to their supreme power. But if you looked at the variety and guile of today’s’ women’s players, there is work to be done. Gone are the days when you could admire a short angles slice or a serve and volley put away. The odds are with the powerful and the fittest, but the grace and class that the past champions brought to the game is beyond compare.

India's stellar Davis Cup performance April 08

2008-05-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

India clinched an impressive 3-2 win over Japan in the Davis Cup semi-final of the Asia Oceania group. India now has advanced into the World Group Play offs .The next tie is due to be held in September though the draw is yet to be made.There are athletes who succumb to the pressure of playing under a national flag and then there are some who are able raise their game to delirious heights. The due credit for this remarkable victory will need to be given to the singles players Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna. Though their sharpness was never in question, both were nursing injuries . Bopanna had to sacrifice his final of an ITF Men’s event as a precautionary measure, a week before the Davis Cup. Harsh Mankad was added as an alternate at the last minute in lieu of his recent performances in the ITF events at Mumbai and Chandigarh.
When I spoke to Bopanna 2 days before the tie, I could sense the excitement in his voice. As per the draw he got what he wanted, a first match against the top ranked Nishikori. The two Indian singles players, whose rankings are not an indication of their grass prowess, showed their Japanese rivals that rankings are a mere formality in Davis Cup. Bopanna’s match lasted approximately three hours and it was the break in the fifth game of the fifth set which ended with a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory over 118th-ranked Kei Nishikori. His powerful serve and volley game packed with enough aces made him almost invincible in the fifth set.Prakash Amritraj’s battle was just as nail-biting as he fought from a 2 set deficit to close the match at 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 8-6. His opponent Go Soeda ranked 156 in the ATP turned pro in 2003 and is a familiar face on the challenger circuit. Their match lasted more than four hours with Soeda losing serve early in the 3rd set. Despite facing the barrel of two match points in the final set, Prakash remembered his father’s advice to him to “hang in there”. And hang in, he did, to put India in the driver’s seat with a 2-0 overall lead on the first day.The second day proved to be fairly a routine one at the office for the doubles pair of Bhupathi and Leander. After a brief hiccup, the former no. 1 duo had a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over veteran Japanese team of Satoshi Iwabuchi and Takao Suzuki. Iwabuchi, the lanky lefty proved to be a weak link in the doubles and admitted later that he could not keep his nerves under control.Having wiped out Japan in the first 2 days itself, both Prakash and Rohan decided to rest and opted out of the reverse singles. Leander and Mahesh Bhupathi played singles after many years just as a formality to finish the tie. They both lost rather tamely to their younger rivals. If there were an option, the alternate players could have benefitted from a Davis Cup match.For me the most surprising factor was Japan’s preparation or actually the lack of it, on grass. They arrived in Delhi only 3 days before the tie. The last time their number one player played on grass was 3 years ago in the Wimbledon Junior event. Whether it was over-confidence or nonchalance, bad preparations might have cost them the tie. This is surely not to take away the scintillating 7 hours of display from Prakash Amritraj or Rohan Bopanna.This magnificent performance had an undercurrent of uneasiness before the tie. While Prakash and Rohan had sent a letter to the AITA that they want Leander replaced as captain, it was meant to be a closed affair. How the letter was leaked out was something no one will know, but the boys seem to have learnt from the lesson and were all business before and after their matches. They came together and fought hard commendably and have shown their worth to the AITA and to the world. What they want is an experienced non-playing captain who can make unbiased decisions and focus on just that. Being a playing captain has its challenges. The issue was not about Leander’s distinguished Davis Cup record. Having played for India since 1990, his myriad upsets over top players have made him an icon. The issue was that he made some decisions without consulting the team regarding line-ups and that he had far too much on his hands.In all this, the AITA have chosen to side with Leander. By giving into the demands of players, the AITA might be faced with recurrence of these revolts. So they have tactfully avoided making any decisions until September.Going forward, the top item on the agenda should be to get Bhupathi and Leander on the same page to start their preparations for the Beijing Games. The reason why they gel as a team from a tennis perspective is that in doubles there needs to be one solid player who can set up the point and one aggressor to finish and blast it off. Mahesh is the rock with his low return of serves, while Leander is the guy with the lightening speed feet and hands who can punch a volley off before the blink of an eye. What makes their doubles team a rare combination is also the fact that Leander is most comfortable playing on the right side(deuce) of the court while Mahesh’s forte is the left side(advantage) of the court.I have known both Leander and Mahesh and their differences in opinions started way back when Leander’s father Vece Paes was the manager for Bhupathi as well. Ego clashes along with twisted quotes from each other’s press conferences have spiraled this into a bigger problem. In my opinion, many of their issues have skyrocketed partly due to many people around them who have instigated it further for their own benefit. I feel the All India Tennis association can take a more affirmative role by appointing a person or persons to bring them to talking terms .The timing is just as crucial as few more matches with each other will increase India’s chances at a medal in tennis at the Olympics It is ironical yet quite important that their interaction is absolutely necessary for them to be featured together a s a team. Bhupathi is the highest ranked Indian at 13, while Leander is behind him at 24 and Rohan Bopanna is 54 in the ATP doubles ranking list. Olympic participation in tennis will depend upon rankings and the Federation’s nomination. These guys have shown that they have the game and the heart. Now it is up to the All India Tennis Association to bring this team together

Davis Cup

2008-02-24T20:57:00.000-08:00

The latest controversy in Indian tennis involving the Davis Cup team members revolting against captain is surely unheard of but not completely unexpected. The AITA has confirmed receiving a letter from Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna complaining against Leander Paes and threatening a boycott of Davis Cup matches if Paes remained captain.

In my view,the red flag went up when I read one of Leander Paes's press conference during their recent tie against Uzbekistan. Leander was quoted saying on one of the papers that Prakash had an unprofessional attitude and had gone out Saturday night and returned with a Delhi belly. I immediately felt that it was not in India's best interests when the captain is giving out on his teammates. I feel that Leander need not have disclosed that much to the public.These things have to be resolved inside closed doors with the player and captain.

With this latest development, All India Tennis Association is put in a precarious situation. Leander has been accused of putting his interests first. With Bopanna, Amritraj,Bhupathi and Rastogi in conflict with Paes, there are not too many players left except Somdev Varman.

Leander has been a Davis Cup legend and his appearances and victories are unparalleled. For AITA, it is a double-edged sword. If they were to support Leander, they will not have the best team line-up for India's next Davis Cup tie. But if they choose to side with Bhupathi,Bopanna and Amritraj, they will probably lose a sports icon from Indian tennis scene. Furthermore they also will need to consider the fact that once AITA gives in to players demands, there is no question that this tactic maybe followed by other players in future.