Meanwhile: Coca-Cola IPTL could herald the first true development of the tennis culture in India

Tennis has been growing in popularity in India over the years thanks to the success of Mahesh Bhupathi and others in the late 1990s and early 2000s. And the baton has been successfully carried by Sania Mirza with her most recent US Open victory. However, despite these isolated success stories, very few Indians have actually made it to the top in professional tennis. With the first edition of the Coca-Cola IPTL, dubbed the ‘Happiness Open’, coming to India in a few days, there is hope that the league’s success will pave the way for many more Indians to take up the sport. Will we finally see a singles Grand Slam champion from India in the future? Why is it that there are only a few youngsters taking up the sport? One of the main reasons for this is that taking up tennis professionally is much more expensive than other sports such as cricket and football. To participate in international tournaments, budding tennis stars are forced to shell out travel expenses from their own pocket before they can reach a certain level to attract sponsors. Even if youngsters do take up the sport, they are mostly forced to play doubles since there are very few tennis academies that provide quality tennis courts in India. Since the courts cannot handle the numbers, doubles is the only viable option. The large numbers also mean that focus on crucial aspects such as fitness and conditioning is overlooked. Coca-Cola IPTL will popularise tennis in India With the success of the IPTL in Manila and Singapore, the excitement amongst Indians is already at a record high. And that will only get higher during the India leg, with 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer leading a host of international superstars in front of the Indian crowd. The popularity of the sport will cross a new mark in India after seeing several stars live in action on Indian soil. The IPTL will provide great impetus to the youngsters, who idolise the players and legends of the game. They are bound to get inspired after seeing their heroes play just 50 feet away. It would also help these youngsters acquire confidence and the right attitude to take their game to the next level. The IPTL has the potential to create a tennis revolution in India. The league’s success could inspire new academies opening up throughout the country with international quality facilities and coaches to help nurture Indian talent. Inspire youngsters to pick up a tennis racquet instead of a cricket bat An important aspect of growth in tennis is to not only gaining the trust of the younger generation but also of the parents. With a proper system in place, parents will be more inclined to let them pursue a career in tennis. Therefore, it is important to change the perception and attitude of the parents. Sports like cricket have a lot of government backing in India and there are a lot of academies which even provide free training to youngsters. Something like that can do wonders for tennis. If the government can invest in the players’ careers through tennis schools, these young aspiring tennis stars can focus on their game as well as get primary education. This will lead to many more youngsters taking up tennis and potentially becoming India’s champions of the future. Changing the mindset of the public Many Indians have the perception that the only sport guaranteed to lead to success is cricket. The success of the Coca-Cola IPTL could well and surely change that mindset, and in the future we could see many families encouraging the younger generation to take up tennis. The last Indian to even come close to a singles Grand Slam victory was Ramanathan Krishnan, when he reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 1960 and 1961. It would be a dream come true for all fans to see an Indian player crowned as a singles Grand Slam champion, and the Coca-Cola IPTL seems set to pave the way for that.