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ShareMumbai: Turning professional in tennis today is not an easy journey. Today the whole world is playing tennis. Six to seven years ago, you only had players from America, Germany, France, Spain, England and maybe Sweden. Today you have China, Japan, Korea... and more coming up all the time.
If you look back at the draws in earlier times, you could easily recognise the top 10 names and the top 10 seeds had relatively easy tours. Today, a top seed can get beaten at the Australian Open in the first round by the lowest ranked player. That's how difficult it has got.
Twenty years ago, if there were one or two things you did well, you could be a professional player. Today, you can't make it if you have weaknesses. And you must have at least two strong points in the game.
Marcelo Rios was the number one player in the world for about a month. But then he disappeared from the top level. He was the most talented player I have taught in the 53 years of my coaching. But talent alone is not enough.
Twenty years ago, kids thought that if they could hit the ball, they could play for college and be a pro. Not any more. Today, you need mental strength, a sound strategy, support staff, and financial assistance. So, you need 10 or 15 things to be a top professional in tennis.
Coming to India, you have had a few good players. You have Yuki Bhambri who won the Australian Open. As soon as he puts on 15-20 pounds, he has the chance to truly be a professional.
But its hard to imagine that a country of your size barely has anybody even in the top 100. Given this, you to consider having a plan that starts with youngsters in the 7-12 age group. The kids will need financial assistance, and they will need coaches who know the direction of the game and all its aspects. India is lacking programmes that can support and develop players over a period of five to eight years. You simply cannot produce them overnight.
We had your top 20 boys and girls over here for almost 2 months. It's too bad that I didn't have some of them when they were 10 or 11. I remember that the kids who came here were too nice. The trend in your country is to be very polite. But sometimes you also have to be mean to be a good competitor. This is not easy for Indians. But I still feel that if some of these boys and girls had come to me at an early age, at least two to five of them would have become top-rated professionals.
I hope that our academy can work with India on a long-term basis, where I can also help train Indian coaches. In the long run, it is difficult to make an impact in your country without 200-300 coaches who have a more intelligent view of the physical and mental requirements, the techniques, and the competition.
We also would like to put in place programmes throughout the country, and search out the best players with the help of your coaches, and bring them here. And then let us keep them for 2-4 years. We will need financial support to do progammes like this. This requires sponsorship from corporates.
You need a good support system that includes parents, coaches and funding. It isn't any one thing. The sports ministry, too, needs to back you up, with the full understanding of what it means for the image of the country.
Nick Bollettieri is the founder of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.
