FED-CUP 2015 women’s team championships
View(s):The ‘open secret’ of team success Strength of a nation in Tennis today rests in the world ranking status of the players in their national team. World professional ranking is the only indicator which shows how matured a player is and most importantly, their current form. These are the twokey ingredients to win when playing for the national team.
This means that good national teams cannot be made overnight but only a year-in and year-out commitment will create an effective national team. It is a trying and costly effort for nations and an extremely challenging one to the players. Too often efforts, challenges and performances of players go unnoticed, unsung and are only targeted when they lose. In this light, it is interesting to analyse the second leg of the women’s world team championship’s the FED-CUP 2105 which concluded last week-end.
The world group
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) maintains a good website on the Fed-CUP and this year, 99 countries entered the event. World group plays for the title and the trophy. All other groups play for promotion into a higher group.
In the second semi-final Russia beat much fancied Germany in a close encounter without their best player Maria Sharapova. Sharapova has skipped the last couple of the events on account of a leg injury. Quite rightly she declined to play for the country without knowing her current form. Russia still winning showed how good their women players are at present. [The Germans were the finalists last year, losing to the Czech Republic]
In the other semi-final this year, the Czech Republic beat France. Kvitova produced very smart games to outclass the French and took the Czech Republic to the second successive finals. This year’s final between Czech Republic and Russia will be played in November.
In the world group there was no shortage of ranked players. All the teams had good world ranked players and the early events of the European season afforded a good training ground to them. The countries which are in the world group have the right perspective towards national team development and are well placed to participate in FED-CUP and in other similar world events.
Napoleon’s rule
Another of the last week’s FED-CUP events was the relegation round of the losers in the first round of world-Group which was played in February. Surprisingly USA, Australia and Canada were relegated.
The tie between Canada and Romania produced much off-the-court news and now it is spreading like ‘wild-fire’. It started with Canadian number one Eugenie Bouchard refusing the traditional hand shakes with Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania at the draw ceremony for her own personal reasons. Then, Bouchard also lost to Romanian Dulgheru having lead one set up and leading in the deciding match of the tie. This made Canada lose the tie.
Napoleon is supposed to have warned his general not to do anything that would make the enemy fight harder than their natural ability. Bouchard not shaking hands boosted Dulgheru’s efforts in the dual and is believed to be the reason behind Bouchard’s loss. Determined by the humiliation Dulgheru fought back being a set down and trailing 3/4 to beat Bouchard in three sets to give Romania the winning slot. The 18 year old Bouchard is now facing the unprecedented print, digital media and the tradition Tennis world criticism. Performance-wise young Bouchard has not lived up to expectations for the past 18 months and now this anti-establishment act is putting her more under the microscope. It is a situation no player should get into.
Sri Lanka in Group II – Asia/Oceania
The group II of the FED-CUP is to gain promotion to the higher group. It is played in three zones – the Americas, Europe-Africa and Asia-Oceania. Sri Lanka played in the Asia Oceania zone in Hyderabad, India. The Indian team, led by the current world’s doubles number one Sania Mirza as non playing captain, won the event.
The Indian team had three world ranked players. Indian number one Ankita Raina is 248 in singles and 286 in doubles, the number two, Prathana Thombare is 481 in singles and 342 in doubles and Natasha Palha is 518 in singles and 749 in doubles. So the Indian team fulfils the appropriate criteria to win. This formula is seen in all successful teams of the FED-CUP. Philippines and Indonesia were the others who did well in Hyderabad.
Sri Lanka’s fate – chained and unchanged
Sri-Lanka was the weakest team and placed lowest in the Asia-Oceania zone this year. We did not register any wins. In some sets played we had no score in our favour. Our local Tennis standard was higher a few decades ago, but now our national Tennis does not even match the world junior Tennis standard.
What more, we also ignore the rule of having to work to place players in the world ranking to venture into world team events. I do not think our system is unaware of this, but just bullish about what they want as our national Tennis. Tennis is not the only sport which has this defect in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka has effective controls on paper but our implementing mechanisms are way below the standards necessary. It is very disappointing even to touch this subject. We have thousands of juvenile Tennis players ignorantly spending money on the ‘wrong road’ to make it big in the Tennis world. Right now number of courts and opportunity to play the game are simply not available. The system which were in place few decades ago were far superior and produced very good results.
Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard
National team criteria
In today’s world, it is wrong to say the right road is an unknown formula. All the information needed to become a good player is available in hundreds of sources. Our players are using the available ‘hit and miss’ process which is a waste of all national resources and their lives. To get on to the right road let us first turn our heads towards open ranking player development.
Right now there is ‘no good master program’ available to develop world ranked players. This fact must be the best hidden secret in the country which has robbed and is still robbing many good talents, of a bright tennis prospect. The road is an individual effort to enter the open world ranking and then sustaining it till maturity. Can these be a secret? If not where is the road?
George Paldano, former international player; Accredited Coach of Germany, National coach, Davis Cup and Federation Cup Coach; ITF and USPTR; –gptennis.ceylon@gmail.com-