Sports organisations can take it upon themselves to promote games other than cricket in India, so that many more can take to sports at any age, just like the Tennis Premier League is doing for tennis, says ARJUN PEREIRA
First came the IPL, the Indian Premier League, which became a household name in the country. The IPL format is fairly simple. Ten teams battle it out to crown one champion in an annual cricket tournament. We all participate as an audience watching and cheering on our favourite players in various regional teams. However, let us not forget that there are other international sports, like tennis, badminton and football which also require lots of focus, dedication and a big boost to grow in India.
To address this, the Tennis Premier League was created in 2018 with a refreshingly new format in order to grab the attention of Indian viewers. The league was created by Kunal Thakkur and Mrunal Jain. They have roped in tennis veterans like Leander Paes, Sania Mirza, Rohan Bopanna and already several Bollywood celebrities such as Taapsee Pannu, Arjun Kapoor, Sonu Sood, Rakul Preet Singh and Sonali Bendre have endorsed the cause and picked up stakes in teams. The team names rival that of IPL such as Sea Hawks, Pune Warriors, Hyderabad Strikers and follows a very exciting format of quick 25-point matches with eight teams being divided into two groups. The match sequence includes Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Each team has its own owner with a dedicated mentor, coach, nutritionist, and physiotherapist.
This is excellent news for Indian tennis players as with the TPL, we have our own tennis league to encourage and support India’s indigenous and homegrown talent in an exciting domestic tournament. Glamour is a vital marketing tool in the Indian context and by associating Indian tennis with film and sports celebrities, this will motivate and inspire young Indian tennis players, including children and teenagers who are planning to take up tennis as a career.
Youth from around the country too can attend or watch the TPL matches in Mumbai and consequently choose national role models in tennis and make personal connections with the players.
Goran Ivanisevic, a former Wimbledon winner has also been part of a past TPL tournament and the format promises to include top men’s tennis (ATP) and women’s tennis (WTA) players in the near future.
The TPL not only brings to you an annual tournament with India’s top talent and some experienced well-known players from around the world, but also serves as a storehouse of information on tennis academies, coaches, and local tournaments that you or your children can take part in. The TPL (tplsport.com) already has 83 registered tennis academies in cities as diverse as the metros, Pune and Jaipur and much interest has been generated for the TPL among learners, coaches, club level players and professionals. It is obvious that the developers of the TPL want to reach tennis lovers all over the country and have generated considerable interest among the sports fraternity. Being a user on the TPL app also puts you in touch with other players you can team up with in your local city.
The beauty of the game of tennis lies in its finesse, technique, aggression, grace, passion, control, and slick timing. Tennis is also a sport which you can pick up at any age. A game of tennis is much easier to arrange because you do not require a team of 11 players as it is more of an individual sport, so two people are enough to have a great session of tennis.
Varun Koli of the TPL says, “The TPL is being mentored by many legendary players like Ramanathan Krishnan, Leander Paes and current players like Rohan Bopanna, as well as guided by the vision and passion of the founders, Kunal Thakkur and Mrunal Jain.”
Varun further elaborates some good news for tennis fans that tennis is growing at a smooth pace in the country as tournaments organised by the TPL generally have entries of at least 32 players, which was not the case a few years ago.
I have observed too that where I live, in Noida, there are at least 50 courts to choose from and Delhi has many more courts where you can book, become a member and play as much tennis as you want. The good news is that almost every new housing project or condominium coming up also has a couple of tennis courts within their compounds.
Varun elucidates how in Hyderabad it is common for players sixty-five years and older to participate in tournaments while Mumbai too has a good culture of playing tennis. The point is that tennis is certainly catching on and it is these untapped players that TPL hopes to bring onto one platform.
“Very few people play football or cricket after the age of 40, however despite tennis requiring a lot of stamina, people are still very enthusiastic to play even beyond their 60s. Tennis requires a very different mindset while playing, as you must plan your strategy for every game and every set. In team sports, even if one player is going down, the rest of the team can lift up the player’s spirits. However, in tennis, you have to continuously be on top of your game and have the right strategy and focus to play the entire match well,” Koli says.
The TPL tournament starts this year from December 3,and culminates on December 8. The tournament will give you a chance to watch ace players like Rohan Bopanna, Max Purcell, Hugo Gaston, Sumit Nagal, Elina Avanesyan, and Harriet Dart in action at the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai. You can also watch it live on sports channels like the Sports18 Network and JioCinema from 4 PM onwards.
Arjun Pereira, a writer and editor, is also a singer, composer, lyricist and guitarist. He loves the outdoors and is often seen enjoying a vigorous game of tennis, mornings or evenings. He has worked for several leading publishing houses and corporates and loves to travel, soaking in new experiences and cultures. His subjects of interest are sports, spirituality and music.
