“The problem here in India is that our players don’t play their natural game. They are under so much fear of losing that on court, they freeze. They choke.”
Seventen-year-old Janvi Patel is critical as she watches a player committing a double fault in the red clay at the Dakshin Kalikata Sansad in Kolkata on Thursday. The teenager from Ahmedabad is here to participate in the Rendez-Vous à Roland Garros, the first leg of a junior wild cards competition for the French Open in Paris in May later this year.
And then she grimaces.
“I made the same mistake today. I was under so pressure...it was very important for me to win. I couldn’t get my shots in properly...and then...” she trailed off.
Patel has just finished playing her doubles semi-final. She is not happy with the result. She and her partner were looking good in the first set, but then gave away the lead. Her opponents then cruised in the second set to take the match.
In the early Kolkata spring heat, these young aspiring teenagers walk about with their equipment for a shot at glory. This tournament, the third of its kind in India and the first in Kolkata, is a joint collaboration between Roland Garros in France and the All India Tennis Association. Kolkata and Pune are hosting two legs of wildcard qualifiers with the winners from these qualifiers meeting in Delhi. The winners from the capital event will go to Paris to play a pre-qualifying event before the French Open.
Parents watch their wards from above, providing encouragement and sometimes offering refreshments. For the parents, this is part of the routine of having a child in the junior levels of Indian sport. But, playing tennis in India is not an easy proposition.
‘A bottomless flask’
“It is a risk,” said Padmaja C, Sravya Shivani’s mother. Shivani was the top-seeded player in the girl’s singles category. For her mother though, supporting her daughter’s tennis dream was not easy financially.
“It is like a bottomless flask”, she continued with a slight grin, keenly watching her daughter play in the doubles semi-final. “You just have to keep on putting more and more into it. There are hardly any sponsors. When we go abroad, we have to search and find the cheapest accommodation and at times, even move out of a hotel to a cheaper option. We choose tournaments abroad based on whether we have a family member there so the cost of accommodation is saved.”
In a country like India where sports is still not a career option, Padmaja laughed about the fact that her relatives sometimes ask her if she has gone “insane”.
“They tell us we are ruining our children’s lives,” she said. “But my husband and I are determined to let our children pursue this. Sports is good, it leads to personality development.”
Back out on court, almost as if on cue, Shivani unleashes a rocket groundstroke and gives out a resounding yell in delight. Her mom is a trifle embarrassed at her daughter’s theatrics. But the teenager is happy.
“Yes, sometimes the excitement of the game gets to me, but it’s alright,” said the teenager, flashing a grin. “I’ve had some very bad patches in my career. I’ve struggled with injuries, with fitness. So now when things go my way, I can’t help but get a little excited.”
Patience is a virtue
Most parents though agree that tennis is a difficult sport to pursue in a country like India.
“Parents have to have a lot of patience,” said Lakshmi Choudary, mother of Rithvik Choudary, who’s seeded third in the boy’s singles. “This is not a sport where you can expect a result in a day or a week. It can take years. Both the kid and the parents must should have equal enthusiasm and patience.”
And like Padmaja C mentioned, there is the financial aspect to it as well.
“We spend up to Rs 24 lakh per annum. Almost Rs 2 lakh per month,” said Choudary. “The company Head provides some sponsorship, but there are the travelling expenses. We have to manage, we have to forego some things. But we are determined to let him do it as long as he can.”
“But yes,” she added, almost in an afterthought. “It really should be much easier.”
Arvind Suresh, 21, from Coimbatore is also keeping a close eye on proceedings as his younger sister, 17-year-old Akshaya is in action. Suresh is training to be a doctor, his parents are also doctors. Arvind, though, had told his younger sister to do what she wanted.
“I told my sister not to get forced into becoming a doctor if she doesn’t want to become one”, he said. “The country doesn’t need just doctors and engineers, it needs sportspersons as well. My parents have also supported her. But it’s not easy, our family’s day starts at 4 am everyday and it revolves around Akshaya’s fitness centre, her practice courts and her house.”
The players only ask for two things: cooperation and support. Cooperation, especially from the schools they study in.
Walking the tightrope
“We have to really balance our education and sporting career and ensure they don’t get affected,” said Patel. “I’ve cut down on the time I spend on my phone or Facebook and ensure that time goes to my studies. It’s not an easy balancing act.”
“But, my school hasn’t always been accommodative,” she complained. “I’m a good student but they’ll still cut marks due to my attendance.”
For Patel, Sravani, their parents and the rest of the myriad number of players on India’s tennis circuits, it is not an easy prospect. The challenges are many: months of travelling, training, playing in tournaments all over the country and sometimes abroad, balancing education and sport. And there’s obviously the struggle to keep up with finances.
But sometimes it feels worth it. As Sravani walked out of the court with a big grin on her face after winning her doubles semi-final, she went and hugged her mother in a tight embrace. These are the moment when it’s all worth it. Game, set and match.