A page from our tennis history
Few years ago, prospects of a New Year was an expectation of opportunities and celebration. It has changed and turned out to be otherwise since 2020. A virus stopped the world. The blow it gave shook every person, making anxiety to be permanent companion. The question is how long more must we wait for normal life. Experts say, our behaviour will decides this and not the virus. Demanding us to be different is a tough call. Tennis has come under this uncertainty.
We are in an era global professional events steers our tennis interest. Their competition dates span ten long months and the venues from east to west and from north to south of the globe. In the past two years events had restricted entry player wise and very low or none spectator wise. The virus is testing our patience and resilience well beyond the mould of the modern man. The worst is, when we step out trying to live saying enough is enough, a new wave and a new strain appears.
Lost world of ITF
ITF came to being in 1915. Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, was one its initial members. In its first 60 years of existence, ITF was amazingly effective to introduce tennis to more than 150 nations, a monumental feat. Amateurism of player in ITF events was strictly adhered. ITF also became the authority to conduct the Davis Cup event. The Davis Cup itself began in 1900 and had profound effect in the diplomatic relationship of nations. Dwight Davis, founder of Davis Cup, competition was an American career diplomat. He was well aware this aspect and used it effectively.
Change in trade winds
Since late 1960s, through to present, ITF has been losing influence and administrative authority over global competitions and tennis. For many decades the four grand slam events, Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open although independent in administration, conducted the event with ITF sanctioned and their rules and regulations. It is no more so. The professional bodies have equal say or more influence now.
The dent in ITF authority over tennis appeared in the era when Rod Laver won the first Grand Slam and turned professional. Few prominent players along with Laver could not get entry into competitions for a year. Wimbledon, easily the flagship of the tennis armada then, was dent when players boycotted the event in the late 1960s. Immediately afterwards, ATP came to being and divided the unity of tennis.
In retrospect, it is clear that the Elizabethan England did not accommodate reforms to its sport. The professional revolt actually began with football going professional in the 1960s.
Since then many tennis events have come up without ITF approval and their numbers are ever increasing. Today ATP and WTA are in charge of the global competition and annual calendar and tennis ranking. They are now threatening Davis Cup to extinction with their own inter-nation competitions. The ATP Cup for men and King’s Cup are their version. Qualification into this is exclusively by the number of players a nation has in the top 100 of the world ranking. Their qualification is very tennis standard oriented compared to Davis Cup’s annual promotion system.
ITF’s split interest
The strength of ITF is in the affiliation of well over 150 national associations. With the competitions going out of their control, ITF started coaches education and testing to be their big thing. It provided coaching position as employment to all players regardless of their tennis playing competency. With it, ITF through their national associations, stung the player development programme and accommodated coaching promotion. Sri Lanka is one of them. Could be augmented otherwise but this is what happened.
There has been more visits by the ITF development officers for coaching than for players in the past 20 years. This has made us to be a nation with more coaches than players, more coaching courts than playing courts. We have more coaching oriented staff looking after coaching interest than player development interest.
Players are not getting enough practice match-play time due to this. With facilities diminishing very fast, our players show very poor match-play tactics, temperament and game sustaining skills. What more, it has made competition development very expensive. This is my reading.
Sports marketing trade
ITF, in their coaching brochures, always have their main sponsors on a page. They are all sports good manufactures and service providers. These sponsors expect tennis coaches to promote their product. Not tennis!
National associations being their agents are in obligatory position to accommodate ITF request. With loss of territory in competitions ITF now have to work for branded sports good for products. Nothing is wrong and this happens in every sport.
Our issue, this is taking our focus away from the player development path. One tennis enthusiast lamented, all the spectators in a tennis match now are coaches and parents. Where are the tennis educated spectators we used to have? Answer is, in many sports, we do not educate the public about the skills. This diminishing tactical competitiveness, in players has reduced public appreciation of the game.
The future
Tennis as a game must survive. In the golden days of tennis, we had over 100 clubs. In terms of tennis standard, they acted as feed in funnel to city clubs from urban clubs. Players came from the provinces of Western, Northern, Central, Sabaragamuwa and Southern, possessing appealing tactical game.
Season’s greetings to all
–George Paldano, European and Asian competition player; Accredited Coach of German Tennis Federation; National coach Brunei and Sri Lanka; Davis Cup, Federation Cup; coached top 200 ATP,WTA and ITF Top 50. 0775448880–