The Indian Tennis Culture: The Past, Present and the Coca-Cola IPTL-inspired Future

Tennis, the foundation stone of the currently on-going Coca-Cola IPTL, is deeply woven into the fabric of Indian sports. But where the sport’s history is rich with chronicles of numerous successes in all these years, certain elements have continued to elude the Indian tennis playing contingent. 

Success in singles has long since been a problem for Indian tennis athletes who invariably, at some point in their career, make the switch to playing doubles. Yes, they do reap rich dividends by doing so, and this continuing trend has certainly made the country’s tennis fans happy and given them opportunities to watch their idols on the winners’ podium. Undeniably however, it has also raised a couple of questions about the culture and health of the sport in the country, and where the Indian tennis fraternity is headed for in the future. After all, singles is where the sport’s elite are most engaged.

Amongst various reasons cited for Indians’ inability to do well in singles, the most commonly cited one is that of infrastructural inadequacies. Being an expensive sport, the investment factor makes tennis a costly affair with little – or even nothing – to show for the amount invested. Conversely, one cannot have success handed to one on a platter without any initial investment. 

This catch-22 situation frequently threatened to turn into a vicious, unending cycle in the past. The Coca-Cola IPTL, however, is a development that stands to provide a bridge between these two conflicting facets. The uniquely formulated ‘Happiness Open’ is, in many ways, a proactive structure, with no discernible loopholes that seem likely to derail its objectives. 

Most of the younger generation of tennis players in India haven’t seen the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Pat Rafter, Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Goran Ivanisevic in such a unique playing field. Watching these legends play in India would provide a singular kind of motivation to these youngsters; nothing can ever match the experience of witnessing these players from close quarters. 

The athleticism and supreme fitness levels that the top tier players bring to the table have to be seen to be believed. These Grand Slam champions will provide quite a few lessons on health and conditioning to the youngsters watching the action. There is a lot to be gained by living a fit and healthy life, and India’s youth will certainly be inspired by the super-fit Djokovic or Murray in that regard.

Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna are already eliciting huge roars from the crowd and from everyone across the country following the Coca-Cola IPTL proceedings. These players are a representation of the Indian tennis potential, and watching them play is reason enough for people to contemplate about investing in tennis. If not for them personally, then certainly for their young ones. 

Indians are known to face challenges head-on and come out stronger. Tennis is one challenge Indian players learnt to tackle early on, forging a path where not many international stars tread with conviction. It’s time for us to steer the course of our way of addressing the issue differently, using the inspirational thrust of the Coca-Cola IPTL, and come out of it all smiling and triumphant.