Ali all praise for Kalinga Stadium tennis facility

Former India Davis Cupper Akhtar Ali is highly impressed with the infrastructure facility for tennis existing at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and considers it as an excellent set-up for junior development programme. ‘‘Ten tennis courts in a sprawling stadium like this is an excellent facility for the game. This sort of set-up is not available anywhere in the Eastern zone, including Kolkata,’’ opined Ali, who was in Bhubaneswar today to grace the closing ceremony of the Asian under-14 tennis tournament as chief guest. The 70-year-old stalwart of Indian tennis, however, feels that the facility should be used like South Club in Kolkata to groom junior players. ‘‘At South Club, we are grooming around 300 boys and girls under a development programme. Six hundred parents, who have become involved in the project, are always ready to help. That type of a scheme should be introduced here,’’ suggested Ali, who was a member of the Indian Davis Cup team that reached the final in 1967. An Arjuna and Dronacharya Awardee, Ali was also of the opinion that more national and international ranking tournaments should be conducted here to help the youngsters achieve success. ‘‘If you want to be successful in tennis, you need to play bigger tournaments and accumulate ranking points. But playing such tournaments abroad are difficult to afford. There are also other inconveniences like arranging visa and neglecting studies. Playing a tournament like the Asian u-14 series at home courts is hence a boon for Orissa youngsters,’’ explained Ali. While appreciating the performance of Orissa Tennis Associaiton, Ali felt that after successfully hosting the Asian junior tournament, OTA should go for an ITF and Davis Cup event. Coach of several greats of Indian tennis, icluding the Vijay and Anand Amritraj, Ramesh Krishnan, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, Ali spent two hours to give some valuable tips to the trainees of Orissa Tennis Academy at hotel Mayfair Lagoon. Speaking on his experience as an international coach, Ali said he learnt a lot by working with higher-level coaches. ‘‘I worked as the chief coach of Harry Hopman Academy in Australia. I learnd a lot there. It helped me become the National coach of Belgium for over four years,’’ he disclosed. Commenting on the standard of Indian tennis coaches, Ali said: ‘‘Our coaches are good at junior level but not so for the higher circuit.’’ ‘‘Eighty per cent of Indian tennis coaches are not physical fit. They talk more and work less,’’ he observed. ‘‘But there are some top-class coaches in India, whose contribution, however, has not been adequately rewarded,’’ lamented Ali. ‘‘Foreign coaches are given better deal than our own coaches who are equally good when it comes to performance,’’ he added. Father of a former National champion (Zeeshan), Ali did not seem happy with All India Tennis Association’s junior development programme. ‘‘The programme has produced quantity, but not quality,’’ he signed off.