Chandigarh: To lift the standard of tennis in India, you need to increase the number of tennis clubs in the country, says Spanish Tennis Federation vice-president and accomplished tennis coach Antonio Martinez Cascales, adding that these clubs should have small tennis schools and the All India Tennis Federation would have to ensure that there are enough coaches for these schools.
Antonio Martinez, who was at the Chandigarh Lawn tennis Association (CLTA) complex along with president of the Spanish Tennis Federation Miguel Diaz on Monday, after Spain’s successful Davis Cup World Group play-off campaign against India in Delhi, said that to lift the standard of tennis further, competition needs to be organised between these clubs on a consistent basis.
Talking about the success of Spain in tennis, with so many players from the country being in the top bracket, Antonio Martinez, who has around 40 years of coaching experience and has coached former World No 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, said that it was the rigorous work culture that has helped Spain achieve that respectful position in tennis. “Spain’s success lies in the fitness of their players. They have commitment and sacrificing spirit. Spanish players have very rigorous training schedule. They work very hard both on and off the field. They follow the instructions of the coaches to the core of their heart,” he said, adding that players Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer were successful because of their work ethics.
He said within a distance of 250 km from Madrid to Valencia, there were around 500-600 tennis clubs. “60 per cent courts are clay courts while 40 per cent are hard courts,” he informed.
Talking about the recently concluded Davis Cup, Antonio Martinez said that the condition was too harsh. “It was hot and humid. I haven’t seen such condition before. Training in such condition becomes very difficult,” he said, adding that the current lot of Indian players was talented but needed to work twice hard to move to the top level.
Meanwhile, the Madrid Tennis Foundation extended its contract for the Chandigarh Academy for Rural Tennis (CHART) by another three years from 2106-19. The Spanish Tennis Federation president and the vice-president met the Founder of CLTA, Rajan Kashyap and the president Jai Singh Gill, to strengthen the exchange and development schemes.
Talking about the agreement between the two associations, the president said that it was a fantastic idea as kids had been chosen from the various sections of the society and from different backgrounds.
Meanwhile, founder of CLTA, Rajan Kashyap, said the visitors were impressed with the CHART programme. “As part of the programme selected trainees go to Spain for 3-4 weeks. They get specialized training and see Madrid Open. Our aim is that children performing well should get exposure to international tennis. S part of the programme, they will be sending fitness trainers apart from coaches to our academy here, periodically. We are also trying to rope in industry for sponsorship.
Meanwhile, Antonio Martinez Cascales conducted a clinic for a select bunch of boys and girls at the CLTA on Monday.
