It may not be the kind of tennis revolution brewing in Russia, but still an upward curve is visible. If the talent on display at the $10,000 ITF Men’s Futures tournament is any guide, the perpetually disturbing question about Indian tennis — Who after Leander and Bhupathi? — might finally be answered.The standard on show at the DLTA courts this last week wasn’t world class — top-seed Norikazu Sugiyama of Japan is ranked 345 in the world — but that doesn’t take gloss off India’s performance. Vijay Kanan and Vinod Sridhar took the top two spots in that order while Sunil Kumar Sipaeya reached the last four. There was also the 16-year-old Sanam Singh who made sure no one forgot him in a hurry. He battled the heat, backache, nose bleeds and higher ranked opponents to reach the quarter-finals.So what’s the future for these Future stars? And what is the next step to take them to a higher level? The AITA chairman Anil Khanna is the best man to answer these questions. He says: ‘‘I plan to bring higher ranked challenger tournaments to India. But it requires sound funding and that’s where the government should step in. I’m ready with a complete blueprint on what I all can do.’’When Khanna says “we need funds”, he is simply stating what the players have in mind. ‘‘On the pro circuit, one needs to be as tough mentally as physically and one keeps learning from every game he plays. The more one plays the better it will be for him,” says Sunil. While Khanna’s complaint about funds is valid, AITA needs to set its house in order. The DLTA is still without a full-time medical officer. Even the physio is a ad-hoc person and changed with every tournament. For the present tour, DLTA had a fresh-out-of-medical college physio with no past knowledge of dealing with sportsmen and their injuries.But when talk veers round to the players themselves, it is evident they are learning and ever eager to grow. After his encouraging performances at the Grand Slams at the junior level, Sunil was lost in wilderness because of recurring injuries. But here, he was confidence personified and decidedly upbeat about his future. ‘‘It’s just the beginning, I am going to make sure I am around for some time to come. I am improving, I have realised my weaknesses and strengths, and working on them.”It is this sort of confidence that keeps the future of men’s tennis in India afloat and takes the hopes beyond Paes and Bhupathi.
