After a bitter Davis Cup campaign, in which they suffered defeats to both New Zealand and Hong Kong, Sri Lanka’s tennis players now find themselves relegated from Group Two of the Asia Oceania Zone. Sri Lankan Tennis now faces the daunting task of re assessing itself and trying to remedy its shortcomings in the international arena.
Harshana Godamanna |
This job will fall chiefly upon the shoulders of the President of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA), Maxwell de Silva. Mr. de Silva is confident about Sri Lanka reclaiming its Group Two slot however he accepts there needs to be a change to the system.
“The main problem we face is that there is no one to support Harshana Godamanna. He can’t do it alone and he needs to get support from other players. One player we are looking at to provide that support is young Dineshkanthan,” Mr. de Silva explains.
He says Harshana’s main advantage over other players in this country is his international exposure, something a lot of Sri Lankan tennis players lack.
This is a view repeated by former national selector, Anura Seneviratne, who adds, “We have to properly train our youngsters. We can’t be satisfied with players being successful in local tournaments because you might win a local tournament but still not measure up to international standards.”
To provide players with international training, Mr. de Silva has acquired the services of a reputed Argentinean coach named Alajendro to work with the players for three months. He says the SLTA is also identifying several talented youngsters whose development they can nurture.
Dinesh Kanthan |
Harshana Godamanna says the pressure of always being expected to win does weigh him down but he is also enthusiastic about the progress of his team and the emergence of others like him.
“I was able to develop because I went abroad and got a lot of exposure. It helped improve my understanding of the game and made me mentally stronger,” he divulges.
Harshana explains that Sri Lankan players often have to use their own resources to fuel their growth in the game, so they should be willing to go the whole way if they want to enjoy success in the sport. Moreover Sri Lankan players also bear the additional burden of having to balance either their studies or a job along with their tennis.
“To earn a living from the game you have to break into the top 200 or 300. Until that point you really have to work to sustain yourself and at times that can get difficult to do,” Harshana explains.
The man Sri Lankan tennis officials are looking towards to step into Harshana’s shoes, 19 year-old DineshKanthan, says the country has a lot of talent as well as adequate facilities to develop it.
He further states that he is extremely confident that Sri Lanka can reclaim its place in Group Two. “Skill-wise I think our team was on the same level as the sides from Hong Kong and New Zealand it was just a question of them having played more matches than us. If we get more match practice, remain dedicated and keep doing our best then our results will definitely improve,” he expressed. |
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