Talent ID – Carlos Grafia of Spain
With the ATP Masters event in Monte Carlo now on in the French Riviera, the European Tennis season has begun. It is the most popular professional Tennis summer circuit and the most strenuous to players, because it is on slow, red burnt Clay. A surface well known for long rallies. Europe hosts 53 events annually. The top end events begin in April and go on till end July. It has 2 of the 4 Grand Slam events- the French Open on Clay at Roland Garros, Paris, and the All England title on Grass at Wimbledon, London.
It is the desire of every professional to do well in Europe, for fame and money. A bulk of the professionals’ earnings come from the European arena, and it is where emerging players appear. Many of the big names of Tennis today surfaced in Monte Carlo.
Talent ID – Early win
One of the signs of a would be world-beater is to register a win against a top 200 of the world, before the 16th birthday. In Men’s Tennis, Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Bernard Tomic, Micheal Chang and a good few others achieved this feat. The latest to achieve this is from Spain, Carlos Algaraz Grafia. He is 15 years and 11 months old and he beat 140 ranked Pedro Martinez in Murcia, Spain. He looked so good, tactically, he is now being named as the successor to Rafael Nadal.
There is a lesson to all would be Tennis players and national Tennis development systems in this. To win, a player must be tactical. It is a paramount need. Tactical ability comes from a different route in development. Certainly not in the pursuit of technical perfection. Players delaying to acquire the tactical skills, will have their self-confidence shaken easily. Most of the good players won their early matches with limited shots and with unlimited tactical ability. Carlos Grafia is one such player.
Harry Hopman of Australia, training in Germany, always reminded that technical skill is a discipline and that is not as effective as tactics. He was right. In the international arena, technical ability is to cope with an opponent’s challenge. Only effective tactics will beat the opponent.
Monte Carlo
This known European Principality has become the home of many successful Tennis professionals. They live there. All admit that, more than the benefit of taxes, Monte Carlo, weather-wise and lifestyle-wise, is a comfortable place to train and to be in. The principality seems to guarantee the privacy and comfort of celebrities. To travel, it is a well-connected location and central. Dubai is the other fast growing place for Tennis players.
ATP events are categorised according to the points the events offer. With so many events worldwide at the same time, especially in the European summer, players scatter, and the events became dull without good matches. To avoid this, the ATP created some compulsory events for Men worldwide. Monte Carlo is one of them. If a player is within the cutoff mark of Monte Carlo event in the ranking, it is compulsory for him to participate in the event. The 4 Grand Slams and the ‘Masters’ come under this rule.
The blue Mediterranean backdrop makes the location one of the most attractive places for Tennis. The event known as the Monte Carlo Tennis championships began in 1897. Reginald Doherty won it the first 6 times. Monte Carlo Country Club, founded in 1928, has been the home of the event. The event has 64 in the main draw. Rafael Nadal has won it 11 times, Djokovic twice and, strangely enough, maestro Federer has never won this title. The only Swiss to win this is Stan Wawrinka.
ATP’s Masters Event means the prize money is big. For the tournament, this is a big responsibility. This year it is close to US$ 6 million. The Masters in Monte Carlo began in 1977, and is very strong now.
WTA Tennis
So far, in 2019, the 18 major WTA titles went to 18 different players. The winners are a mixed bag of veterans, novices and second rung players. They are all swapping coaches and training locations until they find the ‘magic portion’.
The latest is the recruitment of Sascha Bajin, Naomi Osaka’s former coach, by Kristina Mladenovic of France. Couple of years ago, she was 10 in the world. Right now, Mladenovic is 66 in Singles and 3 in Doubles. Recently in Dubai, she beat Naomi Osaka. Sascha Bajin has been the hitting partner of many, including the Williams sisters, and it can be safely said that he is a ‘wanted man’ by many WTA players.
Assessment of stroke making ability is easy. However, the mental approach and mental stamina of players are difficult to gauge. Good coaches are able to profile it sensing players. Bajin is one such coach. Many good coaches take this to be the central core of their training programme.
Global Stimulation
Tennis, globally, with few other sports, has sustained the games interest in the world. They do face immense challenges on this front. In many countries, none of the Tennis stimulation is home grown, but comes through the efforts of the WTA and the ATP. Fortunately, the electronic media keeps us in touch with Tennis.
George Paldano, Former int. player; Accredited Coach of German Federation; National coach Sri Lanka & Brunei, Davis-Cup, Federation Cup captain/coach– contact 94 77 544 8880 geodano2015@gmail.com –