Whose journey is it?
View(s):New Year is a good time to ponder what Tennis is to any sportsperson. It is a great achievement to be a good Tennis player but when you get on the road to become a player, the realities a player faces unknowingly, involves a heavy burden.
One such is the long and large band-wagon that gets attached in becoming a player. It makes the interest, progress and the success of a player that of the family, school, club, coaches, association, ministry, to an extent the parliament and the country. I do not think that any player is aware that they have to carry and satisfy this long list of ‘dependents’, but this is the case today. It almost sounds untrue or far-fetched.
The band-wagon can misguidedly make insignificant rankings more important than the skills of the game and in turn make the country’s Tennis standard low. A small platform such as our ranking is sadly only about being better than the neighbors. The New-year may be a good time to enlighten the minds of the players, so at least some players may see reality, rid themselves of anxiety of the band-wagon and get on the right road to become a Tennis player.
ATP and WTA lead
Players are the central focus in Tennis and in keeping the game alive. This can never ever change. There are no victors without the vanquished. So a player contributes in winning and in losing. If two officials cease to function, the game feels no pain unlike if two players stop it could be the end of the world for Tennis in a nation. The ATP and WTA have taken this lead to establish the hard fact in their events. They are so severe in implementing it and they go to the extent of permitting only the players to speak at the prize giving. In short, there is no ‘band–wagon’ in professional Tennis.
Character issue
A player has to develop a character of independence and not dependence in every aspect of the game, on and off the court, to succeed. This takes reasonable effort and time to achieve. A trailing ‘band-wagon’ will certainly slow and hamper a player’s progress. The first area where a player has to have full control is in physical-development. It can be assisted by an outside person. Controlling and achieving can be done only by the player. It involves life-style aspects which are 24 hours a day, commitment and passion. What more, both these attributes comes to being within a player and no external mechanics can assist this and form the basic building blocks in high performance. –Djokovic made this clear when he said ‘the fight is within me’.
Weighting aspects
In the same manner as in the physicals every other aspect of the game needs research by the player. The best research is the analysis of world class players. Spot a player whose game appeals and do the early development even as a copy. From there onwards the ‘path will reveal itself’. No two player’s play the same. Every player has one’s own comfort zone. This is the birth of variety. Primary development must be ‘all court play’ and never, never baseline only. The ‘baseline only’ game often leads to dead ends. Focusing on insignificant rankings is the reason behind this folly. Competition skills are the way forward for the world ranking in age group and open.
Waiting for a ‘superstar’
Unknown geography has produced ‘world beaters.’ Twenty years ago if one predicted a ‘superstar’ will come from Nyanga, Siberia, which is a remote provincial town in Russia, it would have got lot of criticism. It is in this backdrop a girl named Maria Sharapova set her sights on being the best player in the world, of all places remote Siberia. She did not target Siberian rankings or even Russian ranking but that of the world and it made all the difference. Today, everyone knows who this lady is and how much she has contributed to Tennis.
Character and passion for the game decides the fate of a player and not location and hot spots. Mere stroke-maker’s game which may be good enough for local rankings will not get anyone very far internationally!
Expectations
Nations wait for a big name. Every time a player is spotted, will he or won’t he, will she or won’t she, rhyme in our heads. Much fuss and little substance has carried on for too long. A feasible assessment can be credible paper work but that will not suffice when the umpire calls ‘love-all’ and the match begins. At the end, all falls on the strength of the individual’s skills, passion and character – the winning formula.
Tennis needs full physical maturity and it happens only in the twenties. In the realm of sports, Tennis has the biggest surface area to cover by an individual with speed. Philippine’s Ampong standing below 5 feet in height, reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in the fifties. It shows that the right game can overcome disadvantages. Talking of disadvantages, the trailing ‘band-wagon’ has the worst influence of all. The unpleasant question as to ‘Whose journey is it?’ to be a top sports person, needs a respectful answer. Players must drop the ‘band-wagon’ and last, then Sri Lanka may see some good players in the future. Happy new year to all.
George Paldano, Former int. player; Accredited Coach of Germany; National, Davis-Cup, Federation Cup coach–. gptennis.ceylon@gmail.com