Come to think of it, Serbia barely missed Novak Djokovic in the Davis Cup World Group playoff tie in the Garden City. In fact, their third-string singles players –– Dusan Lajovic and Filip Krajinovic — were more than a handful for Yuki Bhambri and Somdev Devvarman, respectively, on Friday.
Losing to, say, the United States or China can be condoned. After all, these are powerhouses with great systems in place. How does one explain a home loss to a war-ravaged nation like Serbia? Bogdan Obradovic, the Balkan nation's Davis Cup captain, seems to have an answer.
"Look, we are a poor country. We have no money," he says as a matter of fact. For the record, Obradovic took a 14-year-old Djokovic under his wings, saw him rise to World No 1 in juniors and quietly made way when his ward was prepared to take the next giant leap into the world of professional tennis a few years later. That's not all. He has coached and guided the likes of Nenad Zimonjic (ranked No 1 in doubles and, at 38, still part of the Davis Cup team), Janko Tipsarevic (ranked as high as No 8 in the world) and Viktor Troicki (ranked No 12). He is now in charge of producing the next assembly line of champions.
The problem with the Indian players, he says, is lack of energy. "I have seen Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi over the years. They are great players," he says. "But look at Bhambri and Devvarman. They lack energy. They are like sleeping beauties. I can tell you that if you fine-tune their technique, they can become champions. I hope somebody from your country approaches me. I can help."
According to Obradovic, the ideal age to start playing tennis is seven or eight. "Till then, you must allow the kid to run with the ball, swim, skate, ski and climb mountains. That's what kids do in Serbia. We have mountains all around us. If not, we go to Austria, Germany, Switzerland or France. That's how we toughen up."
What he doesn't openly mention are those days, months and years of bombings and explosions. "Yes, that too," he says cheekily. Tennis is, after all, just a sport.
An average kid at Obradovic academy in Belgrade begins his day with two hours of tennis lessons. He then attends school before making his way back to the court for a two-hour session in the afternoon. "Apart from this, I make them do one hour of fitness. Mostly gymnastics. It helps build strength, power, speeds and endurance," he says. The rest takes care of itself.
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