tennis india

INDIA MAGAZINE

THE OLYMPICS ISSUE

First Olympic Experience

Vishnu

Vardhan's

Interview with Steffi Grafand Andre Agassi

Sheetal Iyer'sGame Changing Story

Creating the IdealDoubles Team

Top 10 EnduranceTraining Mistakes

www.tennisindiamagazine.com

Volume 2 Issue 5 September-October 2012| |` 100/-

Opening Ceremony

The honor of representing one's

country at the Olympics is a dream

come true for an athlete and four

long awaited years for a fan. Capturing the

feeling of playing at the Olympics with

some of the world's best athletes is the

inspiration for choosing our cover story and

creating this issue as a whole.

Our cover story focuses on the newcomer to the world of Olympic

tennis. He got a last minute slot to play in the men's singles and in the

men's doubles with Leander Paes. Representing India at just 25 years

old, Vishnu Vardhan lived the dream to play with his tennis idol, Paes

and be the face of the future of Indian tennis. Vishnu Vardhan gives us a

glimpse into his story and thoughts on the London Olympics 2012.

Vardhan is a true athlete as his losses are his motivation for his future

tournaments. It is undeniable that his story shows the value of a great

“tennis team.” His parents, coach, and other supporters are what he

credits for his current successes. There are many things to learn from

Vardhan's experience. Those I leave to you to draw out on your own, as

his story will inspire each of you differently.

Beyond the tennis players and court, we take a look behind the scenes

through the words of an ultimate game changer, Sheetal Iyer. After

years of commitment to tennis officiating, Sheetal was deservingly

given the Gold Badge Referee status in 2007, making her Asia's first

Gold Badge referee. She has officiated tennis on the big stage at many

major tournaments like the Davis Cup and Fed Cup ties. Her

contribution to the tennis world by being a pioneer inspires women in

India to take a larger part in the sports world, especially tennis.

Though Olympic tennis is about the players dominating the court

today, the Olympics is also about its influential history. This issue does

not forget tennis's legends. CNN's Open Court talks to Andre Agassi

and Steffi Graf to understand the true value of an Olympic Gold. What is

it like being a man who holds three Olympic tennis medals for his

country or playing tennis when the possibility of heat exhaustion is

higher than finishing a day of training? Fernando Gonzalez's and Malek

Jaziri's words bring the experiences of Olympic tennis winning and

training to light. The legends tell all.

This issue is also unique because it not only tells Olympic stories but

also gives advice on effective training strategies, for aspiring tennis

players to stand on the Olympic tennis podium for their own medal one

day. This issue also briefly covers the other prestigious tournament in

the tennis world - Wimbledon. It goes to Wimbledon's Centre Court

with a young fan to witness the Federer v. Murray final and brings

Centre Court to life. As for the young dreamers of tennis, our promising

players create the platform for India's future tennis.

If you dream of playing at the Olympics, maybe your dream will come

true someday. This issue, hopefully, gives you some inspiration and

advice, so you can follow the legends. If you are a fan, then hopefully

this issue takes you deeper into the sport that you already love.

Enjoy the issue that takes you behind the world of Olympic tennis!

[email protected]

- Neha Ganeriwal

Andy Murray andVenus Williams with the torch

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great content and substance] in the field.”

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Magazine. I [am] always excited to get the

magazine and hope to win 'HEAD CONTEST'.”

- Auapam Amdekar, Pune

3. " I am a committed tennis fan, and always

follow the major tournaments and Grand

Slams. I recently started reading Tennis India

Magazine this year. I can not wait for the next

issue of the magazine. It is always a great

read.”

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Feedback From Readers

Editorial Team

Editor : C. Kiran

Managing Editor : Manali Kulkarni

Columnists / : Ted Murray

Writers Neha Ganeriwal

R. Mythili

CEO : Mukesh Chetan

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Tennis India Magazine is dedicated to late

Shri Ch.V.K. Kamaraju, World Railway &

APLTA Tennis Umpire, Vizag.

Manali Kulkarni

Centre Court

London Crowd Andy Murray with fans

Medal Winners

The night before, I could

not sleep well. I was out

w i t h m y f r i e n d s ,

exploring London on our first

weekend in the city. I had

reached my hostel at 4 AM and

slept for just two hours. 6 A.M.,

I was up and got ready! It took

me almost an hour to get from

Russell Square to Southfields,.

The Queue was such a fine

experience!

It was the final day of The

Championships, so I was not

sure if I could get a pass even

after getting into the Queue

hours before the sales for

Ground Passes start. Finally,

after waiting for three and half

hours, I was able to get a

Ground Pass in my hand. I was

so happy!

I was in.

Similar sights, like those on TV

and things I had read, were in

front of me now. Centre Court,

schedule board, mini Wimby

shops and people everywhere!

I could not wipe off the huge

smile on my face.

Six months ago, when I had

applied to acquire tickets

through Public Ballot, I was

unsuccessful. However, today

I was actually at the All

England Lawn Tennis and

Croquet Club!

I followed the direction boards

and went to Aorangi Terrace.

Yes! The famous Henman Hill /

Murray Mound. Thousands of

people were there on the field,

facing the giant screen located

on one side of No.1 Court. The

sight was unbelievable! People

were wild with excitement and

pride because a British player

had reached the final of the

prestigious tournament after

74 years! (The last Brit who

had reached the final was

Bunny Austin and the last Brit

w h o h a d w o n t h e

Championships was Fred

Perry.) They all were also

seeing something like this for

the first time ever in their lives!

It was a predominantly British

atmosphere! People were

sporting blue, white and red

colors with their face painting,

banners, and flags. Actually,

people in United Kingdom love

Federer but on that day, they

were all there to support their

local boy!

The final of the Gentlemen's

Singles was supposed to take

place at two that afternoon.

There was still a lot of time left,

so I decided to roam around.

With Original Trophies

t was a historic day in the tennis

world as a Brit, Andy Murray, Ireached the Wimbledon final after 74

years and the Swiss Maestro Roger

Federer was playing to put himself in the

record books, yet again.

It was around 7:30 am when I reached

Southfields, the nearest tube station for

AELTC, where the annual Wimbledon

Tennis Championships take place. I

was so excited! I was wearing a t-shirt,

which said, 'I Love Federer' with a RF

logo cap on my head. I was obviously a

Roger Federer fan. I love him. I adore

him. I worship him. I came out of the

station and the two local station guards

standing there looked at me and loudly

said, “It's going to be Murray, my friend.

Go Andy!” I looked at them and just

smiled.

I started walking towards

the club in the slight rain

fall. Tiny and big houses

as well as rich green fields

surrounded the whole area.

After walking down a few

steps, I saw the AELTC gate

and ‘The Queue'. As I

gathered into the queue, an

honorary steward came and

handed me the Queue

Card.

Finally, I was at Wimbledon.

I could not believe.

The Queue pictures

thMy experience on Sunday, 8 July 2012

Joy ofA 19 year-oldTennis FanABHIJEET DANGAT

Outside the Centre Court

Fred Perry- Still the last Britto win the Championship

In the fourth set, Federer was

playing his natural game,

moving all over the court,

hitting forehand, backhand,

volley and keeping service. It

seemed like everything was

going well for Federer. Andy

was not playing bad tennis, but

he was unable to do what he

did in the first set. It was 6 pm

with Roger now leading 5-3.

One more game to win and

change the history books

forever. Murray was serving to

stay in the match. He held his

serve successfully and the

score went to Federer still

leading 5-4. Now, Federer was

serving for the match! I don't

know what happened in the

next minute. The scoreboard

told me that Federer now has

two match points! Federer nets

the ball and Murray saves one

match point. I took my camera

out of my pockets and got

ready to capture a historic

picture through my own lens.

The next moment, Federer

served and Murray's return

landed wide! That's all. Game!

Set! Match! Click!

I w e n t t o t h e m a i n

Wimbledon Shop. As I

entered the shop, I realized

that it was a bit too crowded!

They were selling souvenirs

a n d g i f t a r t i c l e s . T h e

Championship towel, the

Championship t-shirt, the

Championship key-chains,

wristbands, a mug, and a

lanyard; I started picking up

stuff and I did not stop for a

while. I realized how much I

spent once I reached the billing

counter!

I went to one of the restaurants

under Court No. 1 and picked

up a bowl of fresh strawberries

and cream. Eating strawberry

and cream is a part of

Wimbledon tradition. I had

decided to do everything you

are supposed to do when you

are at Wimbledon. I was doing

just that!

After a while, I came back on

the Hill and picked a spot to sit

for the match.

The match started on time.

Federer won the toss and

decided to serve first. And

guess what?! Murray broke

Federer's serve in the first

game. I was not worried

though. Murray took the first

set (6-4) in style and all Scots

and Brits on the Hill cheered

aloud! Now, I was concerned.

Federer fans were there too;

many of those were sporting

the red Swiss flag on their tees

simply kept quiet.

I was very restless till the last

point of second set, which

Roger took with a drop shot,

winning 7-5.

In the beginning of third set,

both the players kept their first

service, but the play was

immediately suspended due to

darkness and rain.

All of a sudden, people on the

mound started moving off the

Hill! Meanwhile, I went to the

Wimbledon Museum. I loved

the tour! I was looking at

everything in there in awe, like

a 10-year-old geeky kid visiting

a science museum for the first

time in his life. The museum

consisted of a range of cups,

plates, medals, players'

costumes, k i ts, jewelry,

memorabilia, paintings and so

the list continues. It also had

medals, programs, clothing

and arch ived mater ia ls

associated with the history of

tennis within the Olympic

movement. Being a tennis fan,

a sports enthusiast in general,

and with the tennis of London

2012 Olympic Games taking

place at Wimbledon within the

next three weeks, I was very

fascinated for the current and

upcoming sports events. I saw

At Henman Hill

Roger's and Rafa's Gold Medals at the Museum

Nadal and Federer's Gold

medals from the 2008 Beijing

Olympic Games. To see John

McEnroe's ghost through a

projection of him was fun! In

the end of the museum tour, I

saw both Gentlemen's and

Ladies' Champion trophies.

he men's trophy bears the

inscription: ‘All England Lawn

Tennis Club Single Handed

Championship of the World.' It

was so great to see Roger's

name on it, from 2003-2007

and 2009. At that moment, I

was not sure if I was going to

see the Old King lifting that

trophy again in a few hours.

The Ladies' round trophy is

called as the Venus Rosewater

D i s h . S e r e n a W i l l i a m s

honorably held the trophy in

her hands the day before the

men's singles final.

Later, I came back on the Hill.

I met two of my friends from the

summer school there. They

were both Federer fans too.

Between Murray fans, Federer

fans, and the tennis fans in

general, nobody knew what

was going to happen when the

g a m e r e s u m e s . T h e

atmosphere on the Hill and the

Centre Court was all stormy!

round five o' clock, the

match resumed on

Centre Court. In about

half an hour, Federer served to

take the third set, 6-3. Federer

was unbelievable in that set!

After the rain interruption,

Murray had been a little out of

his game. On the other hand,

Federer returned determined

to win and reduced the number

of unforced errors. Federer

was looking better than

Murray, both mentally and

physically.

T

A

11TENNIS INDIA SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 201210

Roger Federer on the screen at Wimbledon, celebrating his win

After a few minutes, I saw

Murray's legendary coach,

I van Lend l , come ou t .

Everyone welcomed him with a

good cheer. It was an honor to

see him. Then, Lindsay

Davenport and Martina Hingis

crossed the bridge! They were

both teary eyed; I figured that

must be because of Murray's

speech. Age 31 and Martina

Hingis still looked great! Then

Centre Court Entrance

The return of the King!

Roger Federer, now 30 years

old, won his 7th Wimbledon

title, 17th Grand Slam overall

and is back to being World No.

1 once again. I, 19, stand on

Aorangi Terrace of Wimbledon

and cheer aloud, screaming

towards the sky, celebrating

the victory of the person I love,

adore and worship!

The victory ceremony was very

emotional, for both Murray and

Federer. Murray broke down in

front of the local crowd. I

looked around me. Every

person I looked at tears in his

or her eyes. Andy Murray had

now become a national hero,

not just to people in Scotland

but everyone in United

Kingdom was proud of him.

I felt bad for Murray too. He

played great throughout the

tournament and lived up to the

expectations of people.

Federer consoled Murray as

Federer knew exactly what

Murray was going through in

that moment.

Then the moment came! The

moment we all had been

waiting for. Roger Federer

received the trophy from Duke

of Kent. He kissed the trophy

and lifted it up! The crowd

cheered in joy! I was so happy!

So delighted!

Once the ceremony was over,

people started moving. I was

h a p p y a n d c a l m , b u t

overwhelmed! Suddenly I felt

like jumping and I jumped

twice-thrice on the spot! My

friends and I started walking

through St. Mary's Walk

passing Centre Court. We

reached the area where Press

Centre, Competitors' Complex

and Members' Enclosure is. A

small bridge there connects to

the area from Centre Court

directly. Many people gathered

there but I did not know why.

Someone told me that Federer

was coming there to greet all

his fans after he was done with

the press. All I was thinking

was, “Are you serious?!” We

waited there for a while.

came Paul Annacone and

Severin Luthi- Roger's camp!

They were obviously the

happiest among everyone.

And then, He came!

Federer, with a big smile on his

face, came on the bridge,

waved his hands, blew some

flying kisses towards the

crowd, and said, “Thank you

all!”

I could not believe what was

happening! Federer, the Roger

Federer, was in front of me,

looking at me.

I screamed with joy and took

two pictures of him with my

camera.

I had never been this happy in

my life.

Roger Federer is the greatest

player of All-Time. Wimbledon

is the greatest tournament in

the World. So being at

Wimbledon to see Roger, and

capturing this moment with him

through my camera lens, was

surely the greatest moment of

my life!

I do not have the words to

describe those feelings!

He was only there for a minute

or two, but that was enough for

me.

Before leaving the site, I told

myself, “Abhijeet, you can die

peacefully now!” :-)

Roger Federer through my camera lens, greeting fans


Of course, he is explosive and dominating at

the net; however, on return of serve he is a

master of the chip backhand return that is

seldom a winner but allows his partner to poach

often on the next shot. His serve also is not

dominating; however, it is consistently deep

and usually to the backhand, again helping to

set up his partner for the poach. This type of

player generally plays the deuce side of the

court. The add court player is generally the

bigger more explosive partner, as they will

usually take more overheads and forehand

volleys up the middle. They are more often able

to gamble on big return of serves if their steady

partner consistently gives them the advantage

by winning their return point.

You can see that Leander has had much

success with a partner like Mahesh Bhupati

with his explosive serve and height at the net.

Mahesh has certainly benefitted by having

someone like Leander to create opportunities

for him to dominate. Although Mahesh and

Rohan Bopanna have had some success

playing together this year, their partnership is

one where they are almost too similar in playing

style to maximize their potential. Of course,

having two explosive serves is a great starting

point for a doubles team in today's professional

world and they are both excellent volleyers;

however, when it comes to returning, they are

both quintessential add court players.

Rohan achieved his initial success with

Qureshi, a perfect complement of a small,

quick, solid deuce court player. It will be

interesting to see whether or not Rohan and

Mahesh remain together next year, since their

primary motivation was to play together at

the London Olympics. In my opinion,

they are simply too similar in style to be

consistently effective against all

types of opponents.

When examining playing styles,

another factor is lefty-r ighty

combinations. Many of history's great

teams were lefty-righty, such as

McEnroe/Fleming, Bryan Brothers,

W o o d f o r d e / W o o d b r i d g e ,

Navratilova/Shriver, Laver/Emerson,

Newcombe/Roche. The advantage of

being able to avoid having to serve into

the sun, the effectiveness of the lefty

slice serve out wide, and the ability to

choose whether to have both forehands

either up the middle or out wide for returns

provides infinitely more flexibility and

combinations than does a righty/righty

combination. Even among the top singles

players today, lefty Nadal has been the most

effective, winning several of the infrequent

doubles tournaments he enters. Mahesh and Rohan

WinningDoublesCombinations- Ted Murray

One of the fantastic things about tennis is

that it is one of only a few sports that can

be played individually as well as part of a

team. Although the foundational skills are similar

for the two versions of the sport, there is a much

greater difference in the specific skills required for

doubles versus singles than in sports like

badminton and table tennis. Especially in the last

two decades when the baseline game has

dominated and the serve and volley game has

practically disappeared from the singles scene

that division has widened even more than in the

past. This difference in playing styles is one of

several reasons why there are so few players in

today's sport who are successful in both singles

and doubles. Before delving into all of the reasons

let's first examine what I feel are the key qualities

that make any doubles combination successful.

Complementary Playing Styles

Most great partnerships have diverse and complementary styles of play that combine

together to form an effective team. Seldom to players with very similar skill sets

combine as effectively as possible in doubles. Most teams consist of a very

aggressive player who acts as the finisher combined with a consistent,

heady player who is expert at setting up his partner. Leander Paes

is an excellent example of a set-up player.


Communication

All great teams have excellent

communication. If players truly

understand the game they can

still be effective with minimal

v e r b a l c o m m u n i c a t i o n ,

because the roles of each

position are so ingrained that

the movement and reactions

are instinctive. However, the

truly masterful teams are

usually those who discuss and

plan between each and every

point. The doubles game is one

of fixed plays when serving or

receiving in addit ion to

i n s t i n c t i v e r e a c t i o n t o

situations. The discussion you

see between points is often

deciding where the serve will

be placed and whether or not

the server's partner will poach.

With the recent popularity of

the server's partner standing in

the middle of the court, this

dec is ion i s even more

important. During the point the

communication is obviously

immediate: “switch, mine,

yours, leave it”, etc. are some

of the necessary ways of letting

your partner know what you

expect of them.

I t i s i n t h i s a r e a o f

communication that it seems

like siblings have an extra level

of awareness. The almost

telepathic communication

between the Bryan brothers

has helped them become the

most winning team of all time.

The same may be said of the

Williams sisters when they play

together at Grand Slams or the

Olympics. There have been

other notable brother doubles

combinations of the past, such

as the Gullickson twins as well

as the Jensen brothers. Even

Thailand has a brother team,

t h e R a t i w a t a n a s , w h o

achieved much more as a

doubles team than either could

have in singles. Although you

may not be playing with a

s i b l i n g , y o u s h o u l d

communicate in a way that is

open, honest, and direct, and

be willing to share as much as

possible with your doubles

partner. Communication is the

important glue that is needed

to hold a team together through

the ups and downs of

competitive play.

This is perhaps the area that

prevents today's excellent

singles players from making an

impact on the doubles scene

as well. It is has what enabled

players like Leander, Mahesh,

Nestor, Bjorkman, or Knowles

and on the ladies side Lisa

Raymond and Liezel Huber to

have remained at the top of the

doubles rankings while nearing

their 40th birthdays.

Many of the younger players

simply try to adopt their

baseline style to doubles and

attempt to blow balls past net

players with power. Those who

Doubles

Understanding and

Strategy

O

Compatible

Personalities and

Emotional Make-up

ne thing that all these

great teams share in

playing style is that

they all are comprised of

exceptional volleyers. Martina

is without doubt the finest

volleyer ever in the women's

game. Leander is most likely

the best net player of all time

among the men when you

consider that his volley is really

the only world-class weapon

he possesses (besides his

quickness and competitive

smarts) and yet he has won

numerous grand slams with a

wide range of partners. The

volley is still the one essential

quality both players must share

to remain at the top. It requires

lightning fast reflexes and

f e a r l e s s n e s s , p e r h a p s

something that Indian players

have developed in early

chi ldhood experience of

playing cricket and hockey. It is

the lack of expertise in

volleying that is perhaps

prevent ing the younger

generation from establishing

themselves in doubles and

why most of the top-ranked

doubles players are well into

their 30s.

In order for a partnership to

thrive over the long term there

must be a positive chemistry

between the two players. This

is one reason why Mahesh

chose to play with Rohan this

year instead of Leander.

Although their games mesh

beautifully, Leander and

Mahesh have struggled for a

long time with their inability to

get along. There is a great deal

Lefty-righty combination of Bryan Brothers

of ego involved in tennis. In

doubles, there must be an

ability to work together without

allowing the egos to get in the

way. Often one player is the

acknowledged leader of the

team while the other is more

comfortable in the follower

role. When both players desire

the same role, conflict often

results.

It is very helpful to enjoy the

company of your partner.

Mahesh and Rohan have

shared a coach and trainer for

many years and share a

December training camp,

along with Sania Mirza. This

time spent together has

deepened their relationship

and thus their desire to play

together. Just as with the

complementary nature of

games, great teams often have

a mix of distinct personality

types. Often one is the

emotional spark plug while the

other is the more balanced and

consistently focused member

of the team. This mix works

well as long as the differences

are understood and seen as an

asset. When these differences

begin to be a distraction or a

disturbance to the other player

then difficulties often arise.


CNN's Open Court'sRare Interview with Andre Agassi & Steffi GrafThe “Golden Couple” of tennis talk about their Olympic memories

Patrick Snell travels to

Las Vegas to meet

Andre Agassi & Steffi

Graf, the “golden couple” of

tennis, to talk about their

Olympic memories.

She was known as Fraulein

Forehand for her trademark

shot. Steffi Graf won twenty

two Grand Slams singles titles,

second on the all time list. He

brought flair, flash and style to

the men's game. Andre Agassi

won every Slam there was to

win. And in 1988 she was

grand, winning all four Slams

and an Olympic gold medal in

Seoul. He followed suit in

1996, winning an Olympic gold

medal in Atlanta.

SNELL: Both of you are so

decorated in your field of

expertise. Thirty Slam titles

between you. How does that

stack up against all of those

Slam titles?

GRAF: To me that was bigger

than a Grand Slam. This was

more special, you know,

standing on the podium and

listening to the National

Anthem, having the medal

around your neck, having other

athletes there to support you. It

is a different feeling, it is very

unique and definitely more

special.

AGASSI: I think it puts your life

and your hard work and your

profession, it puts everything

into perspective. When you are

in the context of all these

amazing athletes who dedicate

their lives for this sort of, one

moment.

GRAF: I have a lot of great

memories. Starting with, I left

Frankfurt on that flight with a lot

of athletes, and I grew up

admiring track and field, that

was one of the sports we

watched a lot of on television,

and I loved track and field

myself. There were a lot of

track and field athletes on

board and it was just, for me,

just being part of the Olympics.

I stayed in the village for quite a

t ake the ne t a t eve ry

opportunity and play with both

players nearly side by side

instead of one up and one back

love the challenge of creating a

wall at the net and using the

pace to volley back winners.

They recognize the essential

strategy of covering the middle

while being very selective

about hitting down the line.

Less experienced players

often attempt to hit down the

line too early in the point and

therefore hand the volleyer an

easy angled put away up the

middle between the two

opponents.

Singles players often try to hit

aces out wide on the serve,

thereby negating the partner's

ability to poach effectively

since they have to cover the

line. The ace mentality too

often creates the need to hit

many second serves, thus

giving the opponents the

chance to take the offense.

More experienced doubles

p l a y e r s g e t i n a h i g h

percentage of first serves

designed to set up their partner

for easy volleys or overheads

at the net.

There are many other reasons

why today's game has very few

players who are highly ranked

in both singles and doubles.

The nature of the tour often

forces solid singles players like

Max Mirny i and Rohan

Bopanna to become doubles

specialists if the singles

ranking drops too low. The

choice then becomes playing

challengers and satellite

tournaments (with little money

to be made) to lift the singles

rankings or play the major

tournaments in doubles only.

Eventually, they don't play

enough singles events to

maintain a decent singles

ranking, even though they

have the potential to defeat

much higher ranked players as

has often happened in Davis

Cup play.

The physical demands of the

sport make it very difficult for

most players to play singles

and doubles on a weekly basis.

The one time many play both is

in the two-week masters

events such as Indian Wells

and Miami. Here Lopez/Nadal

have won, and a number of

singles players play, since

there are more days between

matches. Leander's current

partner Radek Stepanek is one

of the few who is ranked in the

top 40 in both singles and

doubles, but it is definitely a

challenge. They might have

been partners for the past 7

years after they teamed for the

first time in winning the doubles

a t the Del Ray Beach

tournament in 2004. However,

Stepanek did so well in singles

that fall that he decided he had

to focus on only his singles

game and left Leander to seek

another partner. Seeing the

success have had this year it is

tempting to speculate on how

well they could have done over

the years if the tour was more

c o n d u c i v e t o p l a y e r s

competing in both versions of

the sport.

I just hope that future

g e n e r a t i o n s w i l l b e

encouraged to play more

doubles, while developing their

s h o t s , c o m m u n i c a t i o n ,

t e m p e r a m e n t a n d

understanding of doubles. This

would create more well-

rounded players, while making

the sport of tennis more

exciting to play and fun to

watch.

Leander's net play


all the kids together, all the

cousins together, it is just very

comforting and something that

we share of importance- a

close family.

SNELL: I noticed something

Andre, around your neck,

Daddy Rocks! I can guess

where that may have come

from, talk about that.

AGASSI: My son made it for

me when he was four and a half

years old and the only help he

asked for was to help him spell

it at the time because he

wanted to do a necklace and

he had all the beads there, and

I said, “What are you going to

write?” And he said, “Daddy

Rocks.” So I spelled it for him,

he put it on, and I haven't taken

it off in about six years.

GRAF: And you can barely

read the letters.

SNELL: Is mom getting an

equivalent? Tell us a little bit

about your kids. How are they?

AGASSI : Unbe l ievab le .

Healthy, strong.

GRAF: A lot of different

interests.

AGASSI: Yeah.

GRAF: Very active, they keep

us on our toes.

AGASSI: Ten and eight years

o l d . W e a r e o f f i c i a l l y

professional chauffeurs, we

are professional cooks, we are

professional babysitters.

GRAF: The best job in the

world.

SNELL: Do they ever pick up a

racquet?

AGASSI: A couple times a

week.

GRAF: Jazz will play a little bit,

and Jayden is very focused on

his baseball. When we go over

to grandpa's he will get on the

court and play a little bit. He

has a lot of talent, but baseball

is his sport. And Jazz will play a

little bit, she is the one that will

try everything, a little tennis, a

little hip hop, a little horseback

riding, piano, she hasn't made

up her mind which direction

she is going.

SNELL: Just before we go, a

bit of trivia for you. I have been

doing my homework. I spent

hours researching who you

beat on route to the '96

Olympic gold, I am not going to

ask you specifically to name

names, but let me just throw a

few at you.

AGASSI: 7-6, 7-6.

SNELL: Cadenzi?

AGASSI: Cadenzi, I was down

a set at the break and I beat

him 6-3 in the third. Quarter

finals went forever. He served

for the match, 5-4 in the third

and I ended up beating him 7-5

in the third. Leander Paes, who

I beat in two rough sets, 7-6, 6-

4, and then Sergi Bruguera.

SNELL: Yes. It has been a real

pleasure. Thank you very

much.

Interview with Fernando Gonzalez- Chile's triple Olympic tennis medallist

The gold medals don't stop

there, as 'Open Court' also

meets Chi le's Fernando

Gonzalez. The recently-retired

star tells Cash what it was like

to win three of Chile's thirteen

medals.

CASH: One of Chile's best

known sportsman, a legend in

Latin America, Fernando

Gonzalez has won three

Olympic tennis medals, a box

set of gold, silver and bronze.

In Beijing, he shared the

few days but it got too loud and

noisy and then I had to move

back to the hotel. Just

experiencing being among

everybody. I was out with some

of the boxing - I went to see

some of the track and field, the

swimming competitions. I

really was trying to take it all in,

but also tried to play and be

able to get through the first few

rounds and playing for the gold

medal, it was extraordinary.

AGASSI: I remember how

much I was so thankful for the

preparation I put in, and I

remember being on that

podium, I remember feeling -

seeing so many times over the

years what someone might be

feeling when that gold medal is

around their neck and tears

came to my eyes. My father in

the crowd was an Olympic

boxer so I was enjoying it on a

lot of levels.

SNELL: You mentioned your

father and his past Olympic

experiences, how special was

that to actually have him there

on that occasion?

AGASSI: It was a real big deal

for me, it was a big deal

because tennis is a sport that is

so lonely and to be able to play

it for someone else, for

something else, for something

bigger than you, yet still

connected to you. It is a great

sense of fulfilment. It was an

out of body experience. When I

was a boy, tennis was not in the

Olympics, but it was one of the

many things that my father had

predicted in my life, that tennis

should be in the Olympics, will

be in the Olympics and you are

going to win a gold medal. So

being on that podium was a

boyhood dream in many

respects.

SNELL: And nothing like a bit

of pressure from Dad to spur

you on.

AGASSI: Well, I guess fear

could be a great motivator.

SNELL: This is my first trip to

Las Vegas and I like what I see,

but you are born and raised

here, your kids are growing up

here, how special a place is

this?

AGASSI: Well if you like what

you see just arriving, stick

around. I love living here. First

of all, where you live pales in

comparison to who you live

with.

GRAF: Yes, having my mom

here and my brother and his

kids, having my family and

Andre's family around us, on

the weekends, even last night,

having a barbecue, and having

(L-R) Sergi Bruguera of Spain wins silver, Andre Agassi of the USA wins gold and Leander Paes of India wins bronze in the men's singles tennis event at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia on August 3, 1996.

20

t o u r n a m e n t b u t i t h a s

coincided with a remarkable

progression through the

rankings from Malek Jaziri. He

has risen almost three hundred

places to number sixty seven in

the world. I found Malek

relaxing at home watching the

Wimbledon Men's final. He

was playing in the tournament

himself a week earlier when he

heard he had made the cut for

the Olympics.

MALEK JAZIRI, OLYMPIC

TENNIS PLAYER: After my

match they told me I was going

to the Olympics, I was quite

happy, I was happy for

[winning] my match, first time in

Wimbledon, and to have the

chance to play the Olympics. I

am very proud to represent

Africa and all African countries.

I received a lot of wishes from

Africans, and people that

support me.

This is the city of my dream, my

love here. My family is here, it

is a very interesting city.

(inaudible) of Africa. When I

am here and in my city, I am at

home.

CURRY: If you win the

Olympics, are you going to

jump in there?

JAZIRI: If I win it, I will do it.

CURRY: Malek was just two

years old when he got his

hands on his first racquet, and

it wasn't long before he was

spending time at his local

tennis club.

JAZIRI: This is the club, Club

de Champion, it means 'Club of

the Champions.' So you are

welcome.

CURRY: Thank you very

much. Oh, it is clay court.

JAZIRI: Yes, clay court.

CURRY: Is that the French

influence?

JAZIRI: Yes, this club in 1928,

it is a very old club and always

has been clay all these years. It

is a very nice club.

CURRY: What is special about

this court, Malek, I wonder?

JAZIRI: This court has a lot of

memories for me. This court,

where I started to play, it is a gift

for me from the club and from

the city to name this court as

my name.

CURRY: ( inaudible) has

another French connection,

the aviator and keen tennis

player, Roland Garros, whose

name is given to the French

Open was the first pilot to cross

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are subject to change at short notice. For more information,

please visit www.cnnasiapacific.com

the Mediterranean and he

landed here.

JAZIRI: This is the place

where Roland Garros crashed

his plane in my city here in the

war, so it is in memory of

Roland Garros, they make him

a place in my city and so you

can see 1888, he died in 1918.

CURRY: Roland Garros, who

gives his bane to the French

Open. It has a big connection

with you and your city. That is

amazing.

Malek's recent success

followed a series of setbacks.

Injuries cost him two years of

h i s c a r e e r . W i t h o u t

sponsorship, he has travelled

the tennis circuit alone, relying

on the support of his family. But

since breaking the top one

hundred, that is beginning to

change. Both coach and

fitness trainers are on hand to

[help] him through a punishing

four hour workout wi th

scorching temperatures above

43 degrees.

JAZIRI: I was practicing

[when] it was very very hot to

practice and to play and to

travel. The airport was closed,

and we had helicopters

shooting, so [it was] very hard

to play.

podium with Rafael Nadal and

Novak Djokovic. In Athens, he

won the doubles gold with

countryman, Nicolas Massu. I

got a chance to catch up with

him during a short stop in

London.

You are very special, we have

three cameras. For Pete

Sampras, we only had two.

FERNANDO GONZALEZ: I

wish to the play the Olympics

because in Sydney I couldn't

qualify, and then I was very

excited to go to Athens. I knew

Chile never got so many

medals in the history. There is

only thirteen in [its] history (ph)

and I was very proud of myself.

CASH: What was it like going

home, having those gold

medals? Did you have a party?

GONZALEZ: Yeah, all the

people were on the Streets

(ph) Palace and we had

breakfast with him. We went on

the balcony, a very popular

balcony that only a few people

went out there and there was a

lot of people, a few thousand

people. The square was full of

people and it was very exciting.

I never dreamed that tennis

can get the chance to have that

experience.

CASH: Tell me about this

magnificent forehand, how did

you develop it?

GONZALEZ: I grew up on a

clay court. I lived right across

the street from the tennis club

and I was playing against older

people. When someone

doesn't have somebody to

play, they go and knock on the

door of my house and I go out.

Sometimes I didn't want to

p l a y , b u t i t w a s a n

embarrassment for me to say I

don't want to play tennis, so I

go anyway. So I hit every single

time as hard as I can.

CASH: Powered by his

trademark forehand, Gonzalez

reached number five in the

world. He faced Roger Federer

in the 2007 Australian Open

final. He came up short, but

played some of the best tennis

of his life. Earlier this year

G o n z a l e z r e t i r e d f r o m

professional tennis to return to

Santiago. He is hopeful that his

Olympic success will inspire

young Chileans to play tennis.

- Tunisia's only male player from Africa and the Arab World

CASH: We have heard from

previous Olympic winners just

what the Olympics means to

t h e m . B u t w h a t a b o u t

somebody competing for the

first time? Well, Tunisia's

Malek Jaziri is the only male

player from Africa and the Arab

World. As Neil Curry reports,

his story is a remarkable one.

NEIL CURRY, REPORTER: A

little more than eighteen

months ago, Tunisia was in the

t h r o w s . T h e p e o p l e ' s

revolut ion, what began,

became known as the Arab

Spring. The uncertainty of a

revolution is far from the ideal

preparation for a tennis

Interview with Malek Jaziri


Fortunately, there was an

ITF officiating Level II

School in Mumbai, which I

attended and cleared in

1999.

Sheetal: Yes I have been

a tennis player since my

childhood. I was ranked

No.1 in the girls under 14,

16, and 18 in the State and

No. 2 in Ladies. I was

[also] ranked No. 2 in Girls

under 16 in India and was

a member of the Indian

team for the World Youth

Cup in Hong Kong.

Sheetal: I was introduced

to the game of tennis by

my father at the age of 10.

Sheetal: Four men in my

life have been my greatest

supporters in my journey

so far: my father, Sharad

K a n n a m w a r , m y

husband, Sunder, son,

Atharva , and my brother,

Nitin.

On Becoming Asia's

First Women's ITF

Gold Badge Referee

2. Did you yourself play

tennis growing up?

3. What was your first

experience with tennis?

4. Who would you say has

been your b iggest

supporter throughout

your ex t raord inary

journey?

5. As becoming a Gold

Badge Referee made

you the first women's

ITF Gold Badge referee

in all of Asia, how does it

fee l to be such a

landmark figure in the

tennis world?

Sheetal: It was one of the

happiest moments in my

life, and [a] dream [come]

true, as there are not many

Go ld Badge women

referees in the world.

Sheetal: First, you have to

be a national[ly] certified

umpire, then clear the ITF

Level II school (White

Badge). [After] looking at

your work experience, the

ITF selects you for the

Silver Badge exam. There

are no exams to become a

Gold Badge referee. The

Gold Badge is awarded by

the ITF looking at the

e v a l u a t i o n s , [ y o u r ]

experience, and the work

one has put in [as a

referee].

Sheetal: At least in [the

world of] tennis, there is

e q u a l i t y i n g r o w t h

o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r

everyone. It was not

difficult to get along with

my male colleagues. In

India or abroad, we all

work as a team and not

competitors.

6. What all does one has to

do in order to be

rewarded the honor of

becoming a Gold Badge

Referee?

7. As you are a female

referee from a country

that mostly has male

representation in sports

related careers, what

steps did you take to get

to a point of competing

with the male referees?

8. W e r e t h e r e a n y

significant obstacles

that you faced because

y o u a r e a f e m a l e

referee?

Sheetal: Actually, none.

Sheetal: As an Gold

badge referee, I was able

to work at many major

events but my favorite

would be the Asian games

in Doha, Fed Cup in

Australia and also the

Davis Cup tie in Japan.

Sheetal: Actually, I don't

sit on the chair for the

matches as that is the

chair umpire's duty. As a

referee, I oversee the

entire smooth conduct of

the tournament. This is

huge responsibility, as I

represent ITF/WTA, look

at the welfare of players,

and also coordinate with

the national associations.

To keep myself alert and

active, I do yoga.

9. Being a Gold Badge

r e f e r e e , y o u g e t

opportunities to travel

around the world to

grand slams and other

tournaments to officiate

matches. Do you have a

f a v o r i t e ? W h i c h

tournaments do you like

officiating the best?

10. As you must have had to

sit through and officiate

some long matches,

especially at the major

tournaments, how do

you personally train to

stay attentive in those

matches for such a long

period of time? Is there

any mental or physical

training that goes into

being a referee and even

more, a Gold Badge

referee, in the tennis

world?

Interview withSheetalKannamwar Iyer- Asia's First Women's Gold Badge Referee

Sheetal Iyer, based in

Pune in the state of

Maharashtra, passed

the Internat ional Tennis

Federation (ITF) Level II

(White Badge) School in

Mumbai in 1999. In 2003, she

was one of the few white badge

officials in Asia to be selected

by ITF to work as referee for its

professional women's events.

In 2004, Iyer was selected for

the Level III Silver Badge

referee school, which she

cleared that same year. Iyer

was promoted to the highest

officiating position of the ITF

officials' hierarchy in 2007

when she was awarded with

the Gold Badge referee by the

ITF.

Iyer has worked as a referee in

many major Women's Tennis

Association (WTA) and ITF

events like Davis Cup, Fed

Cup ties, Asian Games,

Commonwea l th Games,

Futures and many more in

various countries across the

globe.

She represented India at the

coveted World Youth Cup in

Hong Kong as well. As a

tennis player, she was ranked

India No. 2 under 16 &18 and

No.1 in the girls under 14, 16,

and 18 in the State, as well as

No. 2 in ladies. She is the

recipient of the Tuljabhawani

Sports Award and the Ryan

International Foundation's

Woman of the Year Award in

Delhi.

Currently she is the member of

the All India Tennis Association

tournament committee and

coordinator of Maharashtra

State Lawn Tennis Association

officiating.

Tennis India Magazine: Thank

you for being an inspiration to

women all over the world,

especially in India. Your

a c h i e v e m e n t s a r e

c o m m e n d a b l e . Y o u r

dedication has paved the way

for the women who want to play

a larger role in the tennis world

and sports in general.

Sheetal: I'm happy that I have

been able to inspire women,

especially girls who have

played tennis before, to start a

career in officiating and stay in

the sport they have spent their

childhood [with].

On Inspiration,

Determination, and

Support

Sheetal: After I stopped

playing competitive tennis,

I took up coaching tennis

for some time. I wanted to

be associated with the

sport in some capacity. I

w a s i n v o l v e d w i t h

organizing some tennis

events. At that time, my

brother was involved with

officiating, [so] I decided to

fol low his footsteps.

1. When and how did you

d e c i d e t o p u r s u e

officiating tennis as a

career, while living in a

country where tennis

isn't the most popular

sport?


INDIA MAGAZINE

September-October 2012

India's Risi

ng Star

Vishnu Vardhan

It is a dream come true for me to represent my country through my sport at the biggest and the oldest sporting event of the world. It is the result of the hard work and sacrifice of many people with me over the years.

On the Game

Changer: Sheetal's

Insight on her Life

and Career

Sheetal: “Follow your

dreams and believe in

yourself. Success will

always follow. “That's what

I did.

Sheetal: Yes, travelling

does get very hectic,

espec ia l l y t he l ong

journ[ies] on planes, [and]

transit time at the airport.

At tournaments, my day

starts early and ends late

as I have to work after all

the matches [are] over,

send[ing] the daily reports

and plan[ing] for the next

day. When I am home, I

am quite relaxed and

spend time with my family .

Sheetal: With such a

supporting and tennis

loving family, it has been

easy for me to balance

family with my career.

11. B e i n g o n e o f t h e

pioneers for women in

Indian, as well as Asian,

tennis and sports, what

would your one piece of

advice be for young

women in India who are

trying to take the less

traveled road?

12. What is your average

day like? Traveling to

various tournaments

must create a pretty

hectic lifestyle.

13. What is it like balancing

family with your career?

14. With your many years of

serving in the tennis

world, you have been

able to officiate both

men's and women's

matches. What is it like

to be a female referee at

a m e n ' s m a t c h i n

c o m p a r i s o n t o a

women's? Is the way of

assert ing author i ty

different? Do you prefer

one over the other?

15. Fans have witnessed

John McEnroe's intense

rage carry forward with a

different spark in more

recent players, like

Serena Williams. Such

players have yelled at

the referee many times

for bad judgment calls.

How do you keep your

cool in their moments of

rage?

Sheetal: In tennis, it has

not been difficult. Initially, it

took time for me to

generate confidence in

[the male] players. But,

gradually over the years,

most of them have seen

me work and respect my

abilities, as they know I'm

fair and know that I do my

job. Even at events like the

Davis Cup, it becomes

easy to work as [I] know

most of the players. I enjoy

working for the men's and

women's events alike.

Sheetal: Being a player

myself, I understand the

mentality of the players

and I know when I should

be strict and keep [the]

situation in control. There

have been moments when

players have been difficult,

but using knowledge of the

r u l e s a n d p r i o r

experiences, I've handled

t h e s e s i t u a t i o n s

successfully.

On The Future of

Officiating Tennis

Sheetal: Sports presents

a great opportunity for

young girls to make a

c a r e e r . I d e a l l y ,

sportspersons who retire

from active sports should

try and make career in the

sport as coaches, officials,

or even in administration.

From my side, I always try

and speak to young girls

who want to make a career

in sports, especially in

tennis.

Sheetal: None. Currently,

India has over 50 officials

who are nationally and

internationally certified.

There is great unity

amongst all of the officials.

We take workshops, and

refresh[er] courses for

officials [to update] them

w i t h n e w r u l e s ,

techniques, and also guide

new, upcoming probables .

16. What do you think India

can do to move towards

e n c o u r a g i n g m o r e

women to pursue sports

related careers?

17. One last quest ion,

regarding the future of

tennis officiating. What

one aspect would you

improve about the

o f f i c i a t ing s ide o f

tennis?

28

you have the world's fittest athletes training there. I would just spend lot of my time at the gym training and just see them tra in. I was immensely motivated by it. In the evenings after dinner, we would spend some time relaxing at the games room in the village or by taking a walk around the village. I am going to cherish every moment spent at the Village for a lifetime.

Paes - Vishnu at London Olympics

…you can feel incredible amount of energy when you enter the gym at the Olympic Village. It is a huge infrastructure with the best equipments in the world and you have the world's fittest athletes training there.

Interview with

Tennis IndiaTI: Tennis India Magazine, on behal f of a l l readers, congratulates you for being selected to represent India along with Leander Paes in the 32- teams Olympic Tennis events for the Men's doubles entry list. Having played the Asian Games and represented India in the Davis Cup, the readers of Tennis India Magazine are exci ted to know your feelings about playing for the country in the Olympics.

Vishnu: First. I would like to thank you all for your wishes. I have received immense support from everyone. I have always loved playing team events from a very young age. I enjoy the adrenaline, which you get while being a part of a team and competing. I feel [that the] Olympics is the pinnacle for any sportsperson to showcase his sporting talent. And I am very much honored and excited to be a part of the “Indian Olympic Contingent”. It is a dream come true for me to represent my country through my sport at the

biggest and the oldest sporting event of the world. It is the result of the hard work and sacrifice of many people with me over the years.

Vishnu: It is an amazing experience to stay at the Olympic Village among some of the best athletes in the world. We all would share the same dining hall, which had varied cuisine from all over the world. I do not think there is another place where you have all the different varieties of food in one room. To be at the Village is a once in a lifetime experience. I could meet the US basketball team, [Michael] Phelps, Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt and our very own Sushil Kumar, Vijender Singh, Gagan Narag, to name a few I [came] across there. And you can feel incredible amount of energy when you enter the gym at the Olympic Village. It is a huge infrastructure with the best equipments in the world and

TI: What was it like at the London Olympics Village amongst the world's best athletes?

An Introduction

to Vishnu

Vardhan

The player ranked No.1 at the

state level in Andra since 2004,

and recently played doubles

with the legendary Leander

Paes at the prestigious London

Olympics, talks to Tennis India

about who he is and how he

has become the player he is

today. Vishnu Vardhan is

India's promise for future

tennis success.

Coming from Secunderabad,

Vardhan picked up a tennis

racquet for the first time when

he was eight years old. In June

of 1996, Vardhan began

training under the instruction of

Mr. C.V.Nagraj at The School

of Power Tennis Academy,

which would later be a very

pivotal decision towards his

current success. With Mr.

Nagraj skil led coaching,

Vardhan took his first Sub-

junior Open Nationals in 2001

and again in 2003. There in

2003 at the Junior Open

Nationals, Vardhan went pro in

the world of tennis at just 17.

Turning pro meant continuing

to conquer more of the tennis

world for Vardhan. He went on

to win the 2007 Men's Open

Nationals.

Vardhan later represented

India at the Asian Hopman Cup

and was a reserve at the Davis

C u p . C o n t i n u i n g h i s

dominance, Vardhan won a

Silver and Bronze Medal for

India at the Asian Games 2010

in China. Later in September

of 2011, Vardhan played for

India the Davis Cup in Japan.

Vardhan plays in international

tennis tournaments for 20- 25

weeks. His focus is improving

in the ATP Challengers as well

as dominating at the Grand

slams.

Vishnu Vardhan continued his

success at the London

Olympics 2012, and now

stands with aspirations of

representing India at the Rio

Olympics 2016.

Vardhan Stats

All India Ranking (Singles) 02

Atp Singles 263

Atp Doubles 194

Age 25

Birthplace Secunderabad

Residence Secunderabad

Plays Right Handed

Racquet Head Youtek Radical

Father Mr. R Jagadeesan

Mother Mrs. Padmavathy Jagadeesan

Coach Mr. C V Nagraj

Academy The School Of Power Tennis

School D A V Public School, Safilguda

Started Playing Since (Age) 8

Recent Achievements / Performance

S.No. Name of the Tournament Place & Date Result 1. Olympics London

July 27 - August 5, 2012 Doubles - Pre-quarter finalsSingles - Round of 32

2. ITF Men's Futures MysoreJune 4 -10, 2012 Singles - Winner

3. ITF Men's Futures BangaloreJune 10 -16, 2012 Singles - Winner

Exceptional career performances• Selected to represent India at 2012 London Olympics along with Leander Paes.

• Played a live rubber of the tie on the third day at the Davis Cup World Group play-off against Kei

Nishikori of Japan in September 2011.

• Won the silver medal in the mixed doubles event with Sania Mirza at the Asian Games 2010.

• Won the bronze medal in the men's team event at the Asian Games 2010.

30

The Olympics made me to look at things differently. To play at Rio will be a dream....[I] will try my best to play for India at Rio and hopeful[ly] for a podium finish

Vishnu: Winning back to back

ITF titles in India did [build] my

confidence. It put me into the

top 290 of the singles ranking

at the ATP for the first time and

that motivated me to work even

harder for my mid season

training, which I went through

TI: You have won the hearts

of many Indian tennis fans

by taking Paes's comments

on your ”grass court tennis

shoes “in a positive light and

with humility. What are your

c o m m e n t s o n t h i s ,

e s p e c i a l l y w i t h y o u r

powerful serve and baseline

game perfectly matching

Paes's net-play?

Vishnu: Leander is huge

inspiration for many tennis

players. From the [first] day of

my selection, Leander's team

has been charting out a plan

and program for me. Leander

enjoy[s] and play[s] best with

partners [with] a big serve and

an overall big game. And I am

happy that I could complement

Leander's beautiful net play. I

had been working on it and [it

was] good to see it falling [in]

place.

incredible tennis player. I have

a lot of respect for her. My first

big event on the big stage, I

played alongside her at the

Asian Games in China. I was a

no one at that time and was

thrown in a huge opportunity to

show my capability. It is from

her [that] I learn[ed] how to

handle the pressure of a big

stage. We were unseeded

getting in that tournament and

won the silver medal to

surpr ise everyone. She

inspires and motivates a lot of

tennis players and that's what

her comments did to me.

TI: You have won back to

back $10,000 ITF Men's

Future tournaments at

Mysore and Bangalore, both

played on the hard court. Do

you think these gave you

confidence and better

prepared you for the

Olympics' matches, which

are played on grass court?

TI: What are your thoughts

and reactions on Sania

supporting you as a very

talented player?

Vishnu: I have known Sania

[for] a very long time, as we hail

from the same city. She is an

right after those tournaments.

That made me a lot stronger,

physically and mentally, to be

even more prepared for the

Olympics.

Vishnu: I owe him and his

team a lot, which includes

Sagai Raj, Gopal and Rama

Krishna. To be honest, I do not

think I would still be a tennis

player if not for my coach,

Nagraj, in my life. He has been

a mentor, a father figure on

court, a real guru to me for the

last 17 years of my tennis

career. He believed in pure

hard work with discipline and

always thought big. He would

always looked at the bigger

and larger picture. I still

remember the day when I met

him after the Asian games with

my medals. He would always

keep his excitement and

happiness under wraps, the

TI: Training a promising

player to represent his or her

country in the Olympics is

any tennis coach's dream.

What role do you think your

coach, Mr. C.V. Nagraj, at the

School of Power Tennis

(Secunderabad), played

behind your success till

now?

And now having partnered [with] the same, very legendry sportsperson for the same event is just amazing, as the Olympics [were held] at the historic courts of Wimbledon, which is the Mecca for tennis players.

the Bronze Medal at Atlanta,

be[coming] the first sportsman

[from] India to win an individual

medal. That was a huge

inspiration for all of us as tennis

players. We [looked] up to him.

And now having partnered

[with] the same, very legendry

sportsperson for the same

event is just amazing, as the

Olympics [were held] at the

historic courts of Wimbledon,

which is the Mecca for tennis

players. It is just beautiful to be

a part of all of this. Looking

back its just feels an amazing

journey. We gave our best

efforts and had a great run, but

unfortunately we fell short [in]

the journey.

Leander was very helpful

throughout the whole thing. He

s h o w e d m e a r o u n d

Wimbledon, took me into the

champions locker room and

during matches he always kept

smi l ing . He was never

perturbed about me making

errors or hitting winners. He

always kept saying, “Vish, let's

just enjoy and have some fun,”

and I never had so much fun on

the courts- that got the best

tennis [out of] me. He kept his

cool and carried me, helping

me play the best tennis I could

possibly play. He is, for sure,

one of the best doubles players

tennis has ever seen and it was

a lifetime experience to play

alongside him. It is very

inspiring to hear what Leander

had to say about me.

Wimbledon in the Olympics.

It is not an easy task. I can't

tell you how impressed I am

with the young kid. Vishnu

has a big heart. Forget his

height, his big serve, volleys

and the groundstroke. He

h a s t h e h e a r t o f a

champion.” How did it feel

to play with Paes?

Vishnu: My initial memories

about [the] Olympics [start]

when I was a year old as a

tennis player and Leander won

TI: Leander and you went out

with guns blazing 6-7(3), 6-4,

3-6 to the second-seeded Jo-

Wilfred Tsonga and Michael

Llodra of France in the pre-

quarterfinals of doubles in

fading light at Wimbledon in

t h e O l y m p i c s . P a e s

subsequently said, “One or

two shots at the beginning of

the third set could have

turned the match in India's

favour.” This clearly shows

that you narrowly lost the

m a t c h t h a t p u t y o u r

opponents through to the

finals. Does that inspire you

to push yourself more and

work even harder now?

TI: Leander Paes was in

tears when he said that from

a l l t h e n e g a t i v i t y

surrounding Indian tennis,

he was thrilled to find you

emerging as a world class

player. Paes further said,

“ W e p r e p a r e d h i m

specifically to play at

Vishnu: It was one of the best

tennis matches I have played

and to play alongside my

childhood idol, Leander was a

huge thing for me. We had

given it all on the court that day,

knowing that we had our

chances and we were so close

to beating one of the best

doubles team in the world. It

was very emotional for me and

Leander at the end of it, but

coming out of the court,

Leander and I knew that we put

our heart and soul in that

match, and that's what matters

in the end. And by the end of

the week to see that the team

against whom we went down

so close [at] the podium, does

show how close we were, yet

far.


Rapid Fire Tennis Questions

Favourite Men's Player of all time Pete Sampras

Favourite Men's Player - current Roger Federer

Favourite Women's player of all time Steffi Graf

Favourite Women's player - current Kim Clijsters

Favourite tournament Wimbledon

Favourite city for tennis (in India and abroad) Secunderabad & Europe

Favourite tennis shot Serve

Favourite surface to watch Hard court

Best tennis moment of your past Medal ceremony at the Asian Games &the chest bump with my idol Leanderduring the match at the Olympics

Worst tennis moment When I twisted my ankle during a match in 2011.

Which other sports do you like apart from tennis? Enjoy watching basketball and track and field

What is your message for parents of promising Tennis requires a lot of patience and support fromyoung Indian players? parents. Parents need to have a persistent

approach towards the game.

Off-beat Questions

Sports played while growing up Tennis

First experience of holding a tennis racquet After shaking hands with my coach for thefirst time, he asked me to shake hands withmy racquet and that's my first experience ofholding it.

Question most asked by the public Especially on the Indian circuit,"What do you eat? You have become so tall.”

Greatest change you would like to see in tennis The players are getting stronger and strongerand the racquets faster. So the game is goingto get so much more physical and faster

The person you've learned the most from It is tough to just name one. There are somany people in different stages of my life thatI have learned from.

How will you like to be remembered Just as "Vishnu Vardhan", as the person I am

Other interests in your life Yoga & harmonica

Pet name Vish, Vishi

What you never leave home without Cellphone & wallet

first thing he told me was,

“Vishnu, start working for the

next Olympics,” and today I am

here the first tennis player from

Andhra to play at the Olympics.

That's how amazing his vision

is. I am very happy that through

me, he could taste this success

at the international arena. This

will motivate him to work even

harder, for someone who has

produced four junior and senior

national winners and two Davis

Cuppers- all started and raised

under him.

Vishnu with his Coach C.V.Nagraj

He puts his heart and soul on

the tennis court. There is a lot

of support from his family

which allows him to go about

his tennis freely. He is the

perfect example of a “Guru”

and I am fortunate to be raised

under him.

Vishnu: I practice at the

School of Power Tennis in

Hyderabad. I practice with

Saketh Sai and P C Vignesh.

Occasionally, I go to Delhi to

practice, for more variety.

TI: Where do you practice?

Who are your practice

partners and do you find it

difficult to get practice

partners in India?

TI: What is your advice to

parents of young tennis

players aspiring to go

professional?

Vishnu: Tennis is [a] sport [in

which] you need a lot of

patience. Parents should have

a persistent approach towards

the game. It is a sport where

you lose more matches than

you win. So, parents should be

very supportive to their wards

and make sure they enjoy the

game, and not put any kind of

pressure.

TI: How was your sponsor

support from “ONGC”?

TI: Paes said that he was

looking forward to playing

with you on the circuit as

Vishnu: ONGC plays a vital

role in helping sportspersons in

the country. I am employed by

them and they take very good

care of their sportspersons.

They also offer incentives on

exceptional performances. I

would like to thank Head

S p o r t s , M r . V i r e n d r u

Mahendru, and my controlling

office, Mr. V N Prem Prakash,

for their support in the

company and helping me out

with all my requirements.

well. After your experiences

and lessons learned at the

2012 London Olympics, how

d o y o u f e e l a b o u t

representing India at the Rio

Olympics?

Vishnu: It would be amazing to

play to alongside Leander on

the Circuit. For that I need to

get my ranking higher and I am

working towards it. I could soak

in so much knowledge during

the fortnight I spent at the

Olympics. It's now time to

convert them onto the tour. The

Olympics made me to look at

things differently. To play at Rio

will be a dream. I will know

much [more] when I will have

the next Olympics experience

behind me. [I] will try my best to

play for India at Rio and

hopeful[ly] for a podium finish.


Don't Let Your

EmotionsControl You!- Avi Mehrotra

Off-beat Questions

One bad habit you wish you could get rid of Tend to get really lazy on off days

Favourite actor Adam Sandler

Favourite actress Drew Barrymore

Any superstitions Nothing specific

What's the one thing you are most afraid of? Getting into a roller coaster ride

One piece of advice to youngsters There is no free 'lunch’

Sporting motto No short cuts 'Hardwork’

Favourites

Food Mom's dal chawalBiryani/Butter Rumali Roti with Butter Chicken

Holiday destination Anywhere with nature

Hobby Reading books & movies

Movie-Bollywood and Tollywood 3 idiots & Ashta Chamma (Telugu)

Book The Power of Now

Colour Sky blue

Drink Apple juice with sparkling water

Love of your life My family

A word describing you Simple

TI: You are having a dinner

party and can invite four

people from the world of

tennis. Who would you

invite?

TI: One dish that tennis

p layers should res is t

eating?

Vishnu: Pete Sampras, Andre

Agassi, Rafael Nadal & Roger

Federer.

Vishnu: Blueberry Cheese

cake.

TI: Which tournament gets

the best looking spectators?

TI: What's your fitness

mantra?

TI: Favourite Bollywood /

Tollywood singer(s)?

Vishnu: It's best when the

stands are full of tennis

enthusiasts.

Vishnu: Track workouts, Gym

& Yoga.

Vishnu: Mohit Chauhan,

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and S.P.

Balasubramanium.

TI: Your favorite movies and

TV serials?

TI: Your favorite genre of

music?

TI: If you could choose one

beauty queen or actress to

take for dinner, who would

you choose?

Vishnu: Remember the titans,

Stomp the Yard, 3 idiots,

Friends, How I met your

mother.

Vishnu: Indian

Vishnu: Drew Barrymore.

Lifestyle Questions with Vishnu

t is natural for a person to let

out internal anger at crucial Itimes. My question is, why

d o e s t h e a n g e r e v e n

accumulate? You should

ideally be transparent, letting

the anger go through you

instead of storing it. Some

people have a less “anger

storage capacity” than others.

The outcome is the same, as it

is only a matter of time before

the anger erupts. The outburst

c o m e s i n t h e f o r m o f

screaming, banging your

racquet, hitting yourself and

o ther reac t ions . These

reactions are affecting you

negatively but positively

affecting your opponent. He

gains confidence while you are

losing focus, thereby you are

brewing him a winning formula

for the match. If you don't

overcome this emotional

breakdown, the match will slip

out of your hands before you

know it.

Roger Federer is the world's

best player for a reason. He

doesn't let anger affect him at

all. It seems like it isn't even

produced in him. Even if it

does, he lets it go, not giving it

any importance and therefore

maintains a steady focus

throughout his matches. I

agree that this is easier said

than done and developing

such a high level of emotional

control is very hard. If Roger

can do it, so can you! However,

following the same methods to

control anger as Roger does

would be wrong. You, as an

individual, are different and

unique. What helps Roger may

or may not help you. Your

weaknesses may not be

similar to his. So, it is wise to

work on your own skills based

on what you lack, while using

Roger's emotional control as

inspiration.

There are short and long term

measures that help work on

emotions and negativity. It is

important to learn how to

manage your emotions and

body language while playing

the match. However, one has

to work equally as hard off-the

court to strengthen one's mind

and develop maturity in the

game.

Manage Your

Emotions

To manage emotions while you

are playing is the first and most

important step in the whole

p r o c e s s o f “ a n g e r

management”. Here are few

techniques to make it happen:

• C'MON! Let out a shout

after winning a point, like a

C'MON! This is not to

intimidate the opponent, as

this has nothing to do with

the opponent. Letting out a

'C'mon' is just for you to get

a surge of adrenaline

throughout your body and

perform better.

• Establish rituals. You may

have rituals but you don't

know that yet. Rituals in


tennis are basically actions

done before and after a

point to maintain your

momentum. The catch is to

identify them and use them

when you feel threatened

in a point. It is also

necessary to consistently

perform them in order to

maintain that constant

rhythm throughout the

match.

•

now'. Focus on the current

point, not the previous one.

Many players, including

myself, make this mistake.

Remember that the point in

hand is more important

than the one that just

ended. Players tend to

focus more on the previous

point rather than the

c u r r e n t . T h e y a r e

intimidated either by their

fascination of how they

w o n i t o r t h e

disappointment of losing it,

and therefore, are not

ready for the point at hand.

Players also start thinking

ahead, to winning the

game, set or match. The

challenge is not to remove

your thoughts from the task

at hand. By staying in the

'here and now' you will

definitely be taking care of

business with relatively

more ease, as you are in

one moment, mentally, and

not pulled by different

thoughts. Usually, when a

player begins to give up on

a match, he has left the

'here and now' and is

dealing with the premature

emotions of losing the

match.

Stay in the 'here and

•

winner. Thinking like a

winner and showing a

positive body language in a

m a t c h b o o s t s y o u r

confidence and drains the

opponent's. You will hit the

ball more cleanly and with

more confidence. Show the

opponent who is the boss,

and certainly make them

feel like you're there to win!

Body Language

Your body language also has a

big impact on your game and

confidence. It shows the

opponent your physical and

most importantly, mental

status in between points. To

develop your confidence in a

match or rather boost it, you

need to show it. The following

ways will help you do that.

• Eye contact. Make sure

your eyes have that

focused and determined

look in them and not a

blank unsure gaze. Stare at

your opponent like a tiger

ready to attack its prey. You

probably won't scare him or

her but you will definitely

make your opponent

nervous. No matter what

you call it, this will send a

message that you' re

fearless and ready to

pounce at the given

opportunity. A perfect

example for this would be

Rafael Nadal.

• Keep your head up. Don't

look down at the ground

between points. That

shows that you're in a state

of regret and depression. It

m a k e s y o u l o s e

confidence. By keeping

your head up, you show

Think and behave like a that you have nothing to

hide and you are willing to

take on your opponent with

f u l l p o i s e a n d

determination. You are

sending the message that

you are looking to move

forward. By doing this

seemingly little action, your

confidence will increase

significantly.

• During the

heat of the battle, it is a

good thing to smile. It

means you are in the

moment and loving it! Smile

when you lose an easy

point as it will just absorb

the frustration and make

you forget about it. When

you lose a point, your

opponent gets a bit of

confidence, but when you

smile, he or she doesn't.

That's because when you

smile, he senses that there

is nothing wrong with you-

that the point lost hasn't

affected you and you are

ready to fight. Also, by

smiling you are telling your

brain and body that nothing

is wrong; such a reaction

simply signals to improve

the intensity of play and

win.

• Don't slouch. Winners

don't slouch and neither

should you! If you do

slouch, you are draining

yourself of confidence

unknowingly. You really

could use that confidence

t o e n h a n c e y o u r

performance in the match.

Smile please!

Negative Thinking

In the long run, negative

thinking is something players

should avoid. All negative

thinking should not necessarily

be avoided but most should.

The type of negative thinking

that should be avoided is the

'give-up negative thinking',

while the type that can be

developed to an extent is the

'fire up negative thinking'.

'Give-up negative thinking'

is pretty harmful. If you had

trouble doing a drill, exercise or

playing a match against

someone, and thought, “I'm so

bad at this, I can't do it,” then

you probably won't be able to.

That's because the thought

has already entered your sub-

conscious mind and you will

probably have a really hard

time developing yourself to

comple te and w in tha t

particular task. 'Give-up

negative thinking' also causes

you to dwell on the past,

focusing on mistakes and bad

results in recent matches. This

hurts your confidence, focus

and motivation. There is never

a place for 'give-up negative

thinking' in a player's mind.

‘Fire-up negative thinking'

produces anger, energy and

gets you psyched up for the

match. It creates a sort of

motivational anger in you to do

better on the court after feeling

like you did poorly. The focus of

the 'fire-up negative thinking' is

to do better in the future. As a

result, 'fire-up thinking' can be

very useful. However, it

shouldn't last more than a few

days because emotions and

anger use up a lot of energy,

which can be valuable for

training.

Remember the Chinese

proverb, “A person who says it

cannot be done should not

interrupt those who are doing

it.”

Body language, emotions and

negative thinking are just parts

of the game, whether good or

bad. It is up to you, as a player,

to use the positives in them to

strengthen your game. If you

do, you will become a solid and

consistent player, who is very

hard to beat.

http://avimehrotratennis.word

press.com/


Meet TI's

PromisingPlayers

AITA RANKING (Under -12) 2

AITA RANKING (Under -14) 33

AGE 12

BIRTHPLACE Mumbai

RESIDENCE Mumbai

PLAYS Right Handed

RACQUET BABOLAT

FATHER Varun Kejiriwal

MOTHER Arti Kejiriwal

COACH Mr. D.S. Rama Rao and Mr. S.V. Kiran Kumar

ACADEMY Practennis

SCHOOL Billabong High International School, Juhu

STARTED PLAYING SINCE (AGE) 7

Recent Performance

S. No. Name of The Tournament Place & Date Result

1. SS Panchgani Panchgani, June 2012 U-12 Singles & Doubles: Runner Up

2. CS D.Y. Patil NMSA, Vashi, New Mumbai U-12 Singles: Winner

3. CS D.Y. Patil Jolly Gym, Ghatkopar U-12 Singles: Winner

TI: How were you first introduced to tennis, and who do you most credit for your present

achievements?

TI: Where are you presently training? Who is your coach and what was his / her role in

making you a promising player?

TI: Who is your favorite tennis player and why?

TI: What are your goals for the current 2012 season?

TI: What are the financial challenges that Indian parents are facing to meet the expenses of

tennis tours in India and abroad?

TI: What is your message to young kids who have recently taken up tennis?

Simran: My uncle, Mr. Vijay Choudhury, give me a racket as my 5th birthday present. He introduced

me to Practennis, founded by Mr. D.S. Rama Roa, as well as, the Practennis staff, especially

S.V. Kiran Kumar & Rajesh Kanchan.

Simran: At Practennis; under the guidance of Mr. D.S. Rama Rao & S.V. Kiran Kumar.

Simran: Rafael Nadal for his aggression & commitment.

Simran: Want to reach Girls U-14's top 15 in India.

Simran: It's a chicken and egg story- till I perform I will have no sponsor support, and until then my

parents have to bear all the expenses.

Simran: They should enjoy playing tennis, especially the small victories. They should not stress

about performing well, they should just enjoy the game.

Simran with coach D.S. Rama Rao

Simran Kejiriwal, Girls U-12

40 41TENNIS INDIA SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2012

Poojan Desai, Boys U-12

AITA RANKING (Under-12) 6

AITA RANKING (Under-14) 40

AGE 11

BIRTHPLACE Mumbai

RESIDENCE Mumbai

PLAYS Right Handed

RACQUET YONEX

FATHER Vimal Desai

MOTHER Ashite Desai

COACH Mr. D.S.Rama Rao and Mr. S.V. Kiran Kumar

ACADEMY Practennis

SCHOOL S.V.D.D. School, Ghatkopar, Mumbai

STARTED PLAYING SINCE (AGE) 8

Recent Performance

S. No. Name of The Tournament Place & Date Result

1. SS Panchgani Panchgani, June 2012 U-12 Singles & Doubles: Runner Up

2. CS D.Y. Patil NMSA, Vashi, New Mumbai U-12 Singles: Winner 3. CS D.Y. Patil Jolly Gym, Ghatkopar U-12 Singles: Winner

TI: How were you first introduced to tennis, and who

do you most credit for your present achievements?

TI: Where are you presently training? Who is your

coach and what was his / her role till now in making

you a promising player?

TI: Who is your favorite tennis player and why?

TI: What are your goals for the current 2012 season?

TI: What can make tennis more popular to entice more

kids to pursue it?

Poojan: My father and my coaches.

Poojan: At Practennis, under Mr. D.S. Rama Rao and

Mr. S.V. Kiran Kumar.

Poojan: Mr. Roger Federer because of his overall game.

Poojan: Want to reach Boys U-14's top 15 in India.

Poojan: Make tennis more fun, so that players feel fully

satisfied while playing.

Poojan with coach

D.S. Rama Rao

Meet the Coach-D.S. Rama Rao, Practennis, Mumbai

Mr. Dosa Shri Rama Rao coaches both of this issue's promising players with Mr. S.V. Kiran Kumar.

Dosa Sri Rama Rao is N.I.S, I.T.F LEVEL-1 & I.T.F LEVEL – II, and U.S.P.T.R qualified Tennis Coach

at Practennis (School of Tennis), H.M.P School Campus, Munshi Nagar, Andheri (West), Mumbai.

Mr. Shri Rama Rao's influencial coaching has produced National and Davis Cup players, like Asif

Ismail, Mark Ferera, Gaurav Natekar and Karan Rastogi, as well as Federation Cup players like Liza

Pereira, Isha Lakhani. Additionally, his guidance has created many National champions like Rashmi

Khanna, Arnav Jain and Rohan Gajjar, along with others. He worked in many prime tennis

academies in the U.S. like Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, Chris Evert Lloyd Coaching Centre and

Rick Macci Tennis Academy. He worked as chief coach in M.S.L.T.A for nine years. After gaining a

rich experience with M.S.L.T.A, Mr. Rama Rao started Practennis, H.M.P School grounds, Andheri

(West), Mumbai in 1987. Practennis has 12 international standard synthetic tennis courts.

Team Practennis, Mumbai


How to Avoid the Top 10 MistakesCommonly Made byEndurance AthletesR. Mythili. M.Sc., M.Phil., Nutritionist

The amount of strength and endurance you're capable of is directly related to your diet. Like a smooth running vehicle, your body needs the right levels of food and drink to operate most efficiently.

1. Avoid excess hydration.

2. Consume simple sugar.

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n : Increase your fluid intake cautiously, not more than 830ml/hour (i.e. 28 ounces) and remember to increase your electrolytes intake by a d d i n g e n d u r o l y t e s powder/ endurolytes fizz tablets to your water/ fuel bottles.

Recommendation: To get the proper amount of easily digested calories, rely on fuels that only use complex c a r b o h y d r a t e s (maltodextrins / glucose polymers), with no added simple sugar as their carbohydrate source.

3. Monitor your amount of

calories.

4. Make sure to consistently

take your electrolyte

supplementation.

5. Avoid protein during

prolonged exercise.

6. Limit solid foods during

exercise.

Recommendation: An intake of 240-280 calories per hour is sufficient for the average sized endurance athlete (approx- 72.5-75kg).

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n : Endurolytes, in capsule or p o w d e r f o r m , i s a n inexpensive, easy-to-dose and easy- to-consume way to get your necessary e l e c t r o l y t e s . U s e endurolytes consistently during workouts and races to fulfill this crucial fueling need.

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n : Consuming soy protein helps protect against excess muscle break down. Soy protein has been observed to produce a higher degree of uric acid content than whey proteins. Excessive free radicals produced during exercise reduce uric acid. When uric acid levels are higher, the radical release due to antioxidants' influence of the isoflavones found exclusively in soy is less free.

Recommendation: Eat solid foods sparingly and only as an exception or diversion. Maintain your primary intake through liquid sources in the form of fruit juices, milkshakes or sports drinks.

7. Do not try something new

i n t h e c o m p e t i t i o n

without testing it during

training.

8. Let go of your game plan

even when it is not

working.

9. Make sure you get

adequate post work out

nutrition.

10.Get proper pre-workout

fuelling.

Recommendation: Try a variety of combinations in training and keep a log of what foods and fluids work best for you. If you expand your training log to also include fuel intake, you'll have the data you need to prepare a smart fuelling protocol for next event.

Recommendation: It's a good practice to have a game plan that includes a fuelling protocol that you h a v e r e f i n e d d u r i n g training, but you need to be flexible. Evaluate and adjust according to the pace of each race and weather during that race. Have a game plan, but write it in pencil, not permanently in ink.

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n : Depending on a number of factors, particularly body size and intensity of the work out, consume foods that contribute 55-60% of their calories rom complex carbohydrates, 10-12% from protein, 25-30% from fat.

Recommendation: Eat clean, which means no refined sugar, skip dessert or eat fruit, also consume low or no saturated fats and no alcohol. Eat until you are satisfied, but not more.


Short Listing

The BestTennis RacquetFor You- MS Krishna Kumar

I believe the success of many

tennis powers in the world is

built on a strong foundation of

knowledge and dedication to

attain new heights and adapt to

new changes. Tennis gear has

transitioned from primitive

wooden rackets to high-tech

composite materials which are

lighter, stronger and more

effective, helping to deliver

powerful shots.

First we have to understand

most of the prints that we see

on racquets, which will help in

choosing the best racquet for

you.

The Prints:

1) Weight: It is simply the total

racquet weight. Sometimes,

this weight will be the weight of

the racquet unstrung i.e.,

without the strings. For a

general reference point,

racquets weights range from 8

to 14 ounces.

2) HH/HL: It states whether the

racquet is Head heavy or Head

Light. Most of the heavier

racquets will be head light and

lighter racquets will be head

heavy.

3) Beam width: Beam width is

the width of the beam of the

racquet. The thinner the beam

the faster it moves through the

air.

4) Grip Size: Grip sizes range

from 4-1/8 to4- 5/8 inches are

commonly available. Most

junior racquets are a grip size

4. Always remember that it is

easy to build up a grip to a

bigger size by adding layers of

tape, but if you buy a bigger

grip size grip you are left with

no choice but to play with it , as

it is impossible to reduce the

size of racquet handle.

5) Composition: These are

t h e m a t e r i a l s u s e d t o

manufacture the racquet .The

properties of a racquet varies

based on the materials used to

make the racquet.

6) Tension Range of Strings:

The most important aspect of a

racquet and how it performs

depends on how loose or tight

a racquet is strung. One thumb

rule to remember is tighter the

strings are, the slower the ball

goes.

7) Head Size: This is the

contact point when the racquet

meets the balls. The bigger the

head size, the more chances of

you hitting the ball and bigger

the sweet spot. For reference,

racquet head sizes usually

range from 85-110.

8) Mains and crosses: Mains

and crosses denote the

number of strings running

parallel and horizontal to your

racquet. Mains run from top to

neck and crosses run side to

side. The less the number of

strings the more spin and

power you get. If spacing

between strings is more, it gets

a better bite on the ball. The

denser the string patterns the

more control you get out of the

racquet.

9) Racquet length: The more

the length the more power you

g e t , b u t c o n t r o l i s

compromised. In adult sizes,

racquet lengths range from 27-

29.

10) Stiffness: This is the

measure of stiffness of a

racquet. The general thing to

remember is that stiffer the

frame the more power you get,

but the bad news is, more

shock is transferred to the

elbow. So it is recommended to

select a suitable racquet with

appropriate frame stiffness.

Now, with a fair idea about

what those prints means, it is

time to answer the main

question, how will you select a

racquet from the thousands of

choices in the market?

Let's try to work out a short

listing technique.

1. First we need to have a

kitchen weighing scale and

an old racquet, tennis or

badminton. Since racquet

weight usually range from 8

Oz to 14 Oz, try to tape an

old racquet with lead tape

The Short Listing

Begins

to increase weight one oz

at a time. After each layer of

tape, there will be a point

when you will feel the

weight is comfortable for

you, note the weight at this

point.

2. The next step is choosing

from a HH or HL racquet.

Try adding weight onto the

head of your old racquet

and analyze how it feels.

Then add weight on the

handle and analyze the

feel.

3. The third factor is the size

of the grip. Continue

adding tape on the handle

till you reach your comfort

level. Once you reach that

point, note down the size.

4. Next thing to consider is the

string pattern. The closer

the strings are the more

control we get. So, if you

already have a wide range

of quality strokes and are

capable of controlling the

ball fairly well, you can go

for an open string pattern or

else search for a closed

pattern, one that gives

more control. A racquet

with 16 mains and 19

crosses is considered an

open pattern and 18 mains

and 20 crosses is a closed

pattern racquet.

5. Once you short list two or

three racquets of your

choice at the shop, try to

read all the prints on the

frame and gather all

necessary information

important to you. I am sure

the retailer will be available

to answer your questions.

The single most important

factor is the 'feel good' factor.

When you pick a racquet you

should feel good- remember

this as you start searching for

the best racquet for you.

Reference: http://www.tennis-

warehouse.com/

46

TwitterTatter- Haresh Ramchandani

Sania Mirza (23rd August)

Andre Agassi (23rd August)

Rohan Bopanna (21st August)

Mardy Fish (21st August)

Vishnu Vardhan (21st August)

Novak Djokovic (20th August)

Mahesh Bhupathi (20th August)

Just back from watching 'Ek tha Tiger'..really

good!Salman and Katrina as usual look

fantastic.. Wonder if Salman will ever look his

age?:)

Let's transform #Education together...join the

movement so that all children have a shot at

success!! #BELIEVE

Thanks to Mr. Don Flow & the @ATPWorldTour

fr organising the fabulous sports cars we drove

on the race track today.BMW M6, Cadillac

CTS,Etc.

Katy Perry, your music speaks to me.. I mean, I

love fireworks. I'm wide awake right now. I

kissed a girl once. I had a blast last Friday

night.... It all works! #amazing

Tough to wake up for an early morning flight. But

not today, getting back home after 2 months,

looking forward to make the most of it.

Hello NY!Did you miss me?It's good to be back.

Finally my whole team is here. They say hi to

you! http://say.ly/OOH40Xm

Got on a plane to Mumbai from Washington and

ended up in NYC. Well done # United Airlines.

No more business for you guys!!

Serena Williams (15th August)

Rafael Nadal (15h August)

Fernando Verdasco (13th Aug)

Victoria Azarenka (13th August)

Yuki Bhambri (9th August)

Venus Williams (7th August)

Andy Roddick (7th August)

Somdev Devvarman (29th July)

Somdev Devvarman (29th July)

My sister @Venuseswilliams just bought me the

coolest neatest night light! My whole ceiling

lights up in stars. I love it! Love you sis. :)

I am very sad to announce that I am not ready to

play the US Open in NY. Thanks to my fans for

their support and specially, the new yorkers.

Good morning! Up today at 7.45, earliest time I

woke in the whole summer! But now that I'm

up... Let's practice

I wanna go out with the Batman....

Wow ! It feels great to be inside top #200 current

ranking #189 in singles and #196 in doubles......

What can I say? I love the Olympics! Thank you

@serenawilliams 4 making my dreams come

true! This gold means even more than the

others!

Lesson learned.... Dont leave your twitter

account unattended when your friends are over

singles and #196 in doubles......

Tough day at the office. Tough first day back.

Will be back in form in due time. Time to work,

and time to play as many matches as possible

48

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