Running in the FAMILY

International Tennis has seen the father and son combination of Bob and Lleyton Hewitt, the sisters Manuela and Magdalena Maleeva and the siblings John and Patrick McEnroe.

However, in Kandy, there is something a little more unique. It may be at district level, but an instance of a father, mother, daughter and son playing and winning, tennis tournaments is a rare one indeed. For good measure, we have the daughter defeating the mother in the singles final!

Anura Dissanayake, the pater familias, an Engineering Consultant at Aitken Spence, played Tennis at the Peradeniya University during his student days. Mother Mala, who studied at Mahamaya, represented the school at Athletics, Netball and Basketball. Daughter Dilenthi, fifteen years of age and brother Dilantha, just ten, found that sport was very much in their genes.

What really started off the family involvement in tennis was the ten year period spent by Anura and the rest in Perth, Western Australia. Quite naturally, Anura looked for the nearest tennis court. Assiduous practice ensured, and both Anura and Dilenthi were able to win some tournaments. Anura feels that Dilenthi’s tennis really took off after she attended a few tennis camps in Australia. For his part, Anura took time off from his studies for a Masters Degree from Mardoch University and participated in a couple of coaching courses. Apart from standing him ingood stead personally, this has also helped him to be guide and mentor to the tennis players in his family.

Dilenthi and her father are at practice at the Kandy Garden Club Courts as early as 6 a.m. This is repeated three or four times in the week. Anura and Mala tone up for tennis by jogging around the Kandy Lake almost every evening.

Dilenthi’s most potent weapon is the double handed backhand, while father, mother and brother prefer the forehand. The family annexed every trophy on offer at the 2006 Kandy Garden Club tournament. Anura won the Veterans Singles and the Doubles partnered by M.A.C. Perera the mixed event (with daughter Dilenthi) and the Men’s Doubles in random with Ajith Liyanage.

Mala lost the Women’s Singles final to Dilenthi who went from strength to strength winning the doubles, the girls under 16 singles and doubles (partner-Malshani Ranasinghe) and the Girls under 18 Singles and Doubles (partner-Nabeela Imtiaz). For these efforts, Dilenthi won the award for the most outstanding player and Anura, the similar award for men not to be outdone, little Dilantha took the under 10 title. A phenomenal 19 trophies in all.

At the 2006 Uva open held at Hali Ela, Dilenthi was the Women’s champion and took the mixed event, too, partnered by her father. Their apponents (mother/wife) Mala and Lakshman Abeygunawardena.

Anura feels that tennis is a game for people of all ages and is one that can be played even with only one other person. Tennis has enabled him to “meat people of the same calibre, especially overseas.”.