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MSLTA launches new initiatives for Tennis players in the state.
MSLTA launches new initiatives for Tennis players in the state.
· Aims for all round development of Tennis
Mumbai , July 30 : Buoyed by the success of its grass root level programme and having started full-fledged tennis activities across 30 districts in the state , one of the country’s foremost sports body Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association ( MSLTA) has launched new initiatives to make the game more popular and increase competitiveness amongst Juniors
Speaking to reporters the Hon Secretary of MSLTA Sunder Iyer and President Bharat Oza announced the new initiatives which included MSLTA Vision 2020 programme, Junior Tennis Leagues across age groups apart from organizing over 150 state, national and international tournaments in the coming year. Treasurer of MSLTA Sudhir Bhiwapurkar and Jt Secretary Rajeev Deshpande were also present on the occasion
“We had fair success with the first version of the MSLTA vision programme launched in 2010 , about 10 players who were picked up from as grass root level scouting went on to play in the Junior Grand Slams , one player represented India in the Davis Cup while two girls made it to the Indian Fed Cup team and one to the Rio Olympics “. We could only hand hold them till the junior stage , we have not been able to achieve real success once our players reached the professional level so far said Iyer and Oza.
The Vision 2020 program that we have planned will include Over 111 players from the age group of Under 10 to Mens and ladies tennis players. We have created a Pyramid which will encompass players from grass-root level through to high performance program. “We envisage that our Pyramid will help to create many more high ranked juniors, men's and women's tennis players from Maharashtra they added.
The idea of this program is to imbibe fundamental sports skills , and Train players to Compete using all available science and technology and help them develop into complete professional athletes using a separate model that incorporates the mental, physical, technical + game strategy, and personal development, Iyer and Oza added.
The idea which is the brainchild Sunder Iyer , ITF Level 7 Coach Hemant Bendrey, Chief Coach of MSLTA Manoj Vaidya and former President of MSLTA Sharad Kannamwar consists of an ELITE PLAYER pyramid which will include Competitions , High Performance Coaching Camps nationally and internationally .Other aspects that will be offered to players include Physical Conditioning , Mental Training , Sports Vision , Sports Biomechanics , Game Strategy & Game Awareness , Injury Prevention, Video Analysis , Sports Education , Grooming & Etiquette , Parents Mentoring Program , Lifestyle Training and Diet , apart monetary rewards and bonuses.
Top 8 boys and girls from under-10 age group as per MSLTA rankings and 4 players from the Road to MSLTA programme comprising players from the Interiors of the state will be selected in the Promising Kids programme , the next group named Rising Kids will have top two under 10 players from the last year rankings 5to8 ranked players from the under 12 players list as per AITA ranking
Top four players in the under 12 category and 5 to 8th ranked under 14 players in the state as per AITA ranking will be selected in the Future Kids Group , while the Young Stars group will feature top four players in the under 14 category and 5- 8 ranked under 16 players The Challenger Group will include top 4 boys and girls players in the under 16 age group and 5th to 8th ranked players from the u-18 category .
To nurture the Men’s and women’s players they will form the Elite group where Top 8 Men’s and Top 6 Women’s players who are ranked in ATP and the AITA rankings will be selected , these players will get Daily Allowances for attending camps and tournaments which will help them to support their tennis expenses on the professional level.
Vision Prospect group includes junior and sub junior players who are National Champions and Runners up, under this program Yearly Scholarships, Advanced coaching Camps (National and international), Player monitoring & analysis, Advisory on selection of competitions etc will be offered to players by experts.
The Vision programme launched in 2010 will be pinnacle of the Pyramid Currently the programme has 6 Players who are in the Top 6 rankings in India from u/16, u/18, Men’s & Women category, National champions from u-16 & u-18. These Six players receive Quarterly scholarships / reimbursement as per gradation, International exposure camps which include 100% training fees, Reimbursement of air tickets for entry in Grand Slams
It will be first of its kind of programme which will also help not only players from big cities like Pune and Mumbai but even players from the smallest tennis playing towns in the state to benefit, out of the 111 players around 40 players from the other districts than Pune and Mumbai , added Iyer
Innovative Tennis Leagues
Tennis is a very individual and becomes a selfish sport in a bid to build a family spirit and camaraderie among the tennis fraternity MSLTA has started Tennis Leagues for juniors and senior players from the state. “We have launched the Mumbai Open Junior Tennis League and the Pune Junior Tennis league and these will be started in other cities as well , said Iyer .
“The idea behind the event was to bring out the best in the junior players and help them to think like professionals at an early age. Such a league will also encourage them to put in hard work and become better players Apart from this the organizers will also be organizing workshops on various aspects of tennis, mental and physical tests which will be counted in the final performances of the teams.
We have six teams for the Rebound Mumbai open Junior Tennis League, a League specifically created for tennis players from Mumbai and suburbs. . The league features around 90 players from the age category of under-10, under-12 and under-14. The matches will be spread over two months will be played on an all-play -all format. Top 4 teams will qualify for the semifinals; two top teams will contest the finals, while the remaining two will contest for the 3rd and the 4th spots.
“It is path breaking event for city tennis juniors as junior players from all academies and clubs were being clubbed together and then got into teams through auction Every team will have players from age group 10-14 so each match becomes important thus building friendship between players and parents.” said Iyer, who visualized the League
The second league that MSLTA has launched is the first ever Maharashtra Open Emerging Stars Tennis League for Maharashtra Players in the age group of 16 Plus, it will be the first of its kind league in India where junior, mens and ladies players from all academies and clubs and district associations will be clubbed together and then get into teams through auction process.
The ESTL will have Eight Team League playing in 2 groups of 4 teams, with the top 2 to play finals The eight franchisees teams will be 1, Mumbai 2. Pune, 3. Nasik , 4. Kolhapur, 5. Solapur , 6. Marathwada , 7. Nagpur 8. Thane. Every team will have 10 players in the age group 16, 18, Men’s and Ladies
Each team would have minimum 10 players , which include 3 U-16 players, 5 U-18 players, 2 Men’s and 2 Women’s players in each team, Every Team would play 5 matches and it will be mandatory for every team to have minimum 3 players from a particular zone or the city the franchise will be named after .
The entire idea of the ESTL is that the players can use the auction amount they receive to play tournaments in India and abroad apart from getting valuable match practice and breaking down geographical divide among state tennis players.
Competitions and Education Initiatives
In 2015 -2016 MSLTA set a new record by hosting over 130 tournament ranging from Under 10 to men's and women's national ranking championships. MSLTA also organized international tournaments for men's and women's worth over $150000. This year we will be increasing the tournaments to 150 tournaments in the year and organizing tournaments worth over $200000.
“We will be hosting two Mens Asian tennis Tour (ATT) events which have been promoted by the Asian tennis federation these events will be held at Khar Gymkhana and MSLTA in Mumbai in September. We will also be organizing the $50000 KPIT ATP Challenger in Pune and 4 $25000 Womens events in Pune, Navi Mumbai and Aurangabad. Three $10000 Women’s ITF events in Pune, Solapur and Nasik, added Iyer.
Apart from the Competition players and tournament MSLTA is the only state in India to start INTERCLUB championships for its players over 35 years. These events are played in three tiers first in the city, then at a regional level. The event culminates with the championship comprising 8 teams who play the event for three days with all expenses paid for. The highlight being that all players participating are insured for a period of 1 year. Last year the event was held in 24 cities across Maharashtra
Apart from the competitions MSLTA is also actively involved in coaches education and up gradation , and stared a Coaches registration initiative with over 300 registered coaches , Our senior coaches impart knowledge to the district level coaches in Physical Training , Training for Tennis Tens. Diets and Hydration, racquet technology, foot care and basic healthcare
MSLTA is the only association in India to have a insurance programme for its coaches and markers, It is the only association to have a tie up with Golwilkar Labs to ensure discounts for coaches and players for the medical tests
In a bid to sensitize parents and educate them in the field of sports and to be sensitive towards their wards MSLTA also has launched a Parents Education Programs which is spearheaded by Dr Vece Paes and Bhismaraj Bam who are mentors of the MSLTA to share knowledge in tennis in. Bid for them to maintain balance with kids and ensure that they do not pressurize their wards