TheSportsCampus

On the 23rd of June, 2008, The Sports Campus conducted an exclusive interview with Mr. Ranbir Chauhan, Executive Director, Development and Marketing, All India Tennis Association (AITA). Ranbir was candid and gave us a realistic insight on the prevailing scenario in Indian Tennis.

 

QUESTION: WHEN WAS THE AITA (ALL INDIA TENNIS ASSOCATION) ESTABLISHED AND WHO WAS ITS FIRST PRESIDENT?

RANBIR : In March 1920 All India Lawn Tennis Association (AILTA) was formed at Lahore. In November 1920, the first AGM of AILTA was held at the Town Hall at Delhi. Samuel Perry O'Donnell, a British member of the Indian Civil Service (ICS) was elected as the first president.

QUESTION: I AM CURIOUS ABOUT THE NAME ATTACHED WITH AITA, R.K. KHANNA, WAS HE A FORMER TENNIS PLAYER?

RANBIR : Mr. R.K Khanna has been the Secretary General of AITA and also the President. Yes, he was a former tennis player and has participated in the Davis Cup as a manager.

QUESTION: HOW ARE THE CURRENT MEMBERS OF AITA SELECTED?

 

RANBIR : State associations are a part of the AITA and then members are selected through the process of voting.

QUESTION: HOW IS THE AITA FUNDED?

RANBIR : We are a self funded organization. Since we are a part of the ITF (International Tennis Federation), every year we pay them money for renewing our membership and get no grants from them. Occasionally we approach the government to get money for some players but other than that we are a self funded organization.

QUESTION: ACCORDING TO YOUR ESTIMATION HOW MANY KIDS TODAY PLAY TENNIS IN INDIA?

RANBIR : The AITA as on today has 7500 professional players playing under its banner. Apart from that I would say appox 20-30 lakhs kids are playing tennis, the game.

QUESTION: IS THERE A NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE, OR IS THE POPULARITY OF THE GAME UNIVERSAL IN INDIA?

RANBIR : According to the CCI survey, Tennis is the fastest growing sport of the world. Initially Tamil Nadu and Bengal dominated the tennis scene but today the game is getting very popular in east and the north. The south has always showed a great inclination towards the sport.

QUESTION: CAN YOU NAME THE TOP FIVE STATES WHICH HAVE HISTORICALLY PRODUCED GREAT TENNIS PLAYERS?

RANBIR : Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Bengal- Bengal used to be a top state once upon a time with players like Leander Paes. However it is sitting quite low, but I am sure it will pick up. Andhra Pradesh is also emerging as one of the top states due to Sania Mirza.

QUESTION: WHAT IS YOU TAKE/PERSPECTIVE ON YOUNG TENNIS?

RANBIR : The number is growing, and so is the competition. Professional Tennis is very competitive with over 200 countries playing the sport. However the prospects are numerous as this is one sport which has no gender bias.

QUESTION: YOUR TAKE ON YUKI BHAMBRI ?

RANBIR : He is ranked No.5 in the world and he is just 15. I believe he has great potential and credibility to reach great heights.

QUESTION: ANY OTHER YOUNG PLAYER YOU WOULD LIKE US TO KNOW ABOUT.

RANBIR : We have an up coming player, Saurabh Singh. Then we have Somdev Varman, who reached the finals of collegiate events in the US for three consecutive years and won two of them.

QUESTION: HOW MUCH DO YOU INVEST MONETARILY TO BRING OUT TALENT IN OUR COUNTRY?

RANBIR : It's hard to put it into a monetary value as tennis is an individual game rather than a team game thus making it expensive. We do our best to support every player in whatever way we can.

QUESTION: IS YOUR FOCUS ON TENNIS AS A PROFEESIONAL SPORT OR ARE YOU INTO ATTRACTING MORE PEOPLE (KIDS/ SENIORS) TO PLAY THE GAME?

RANBIR : Our responsibility is towards both the sides. We would want to attract as many people to play the game. The game is growing and our focus is to support more and more talented players. Today the number of national tournaments that take place in AITA in junior category are 200-250, 8-9 international tournaments in junior level and about 25 international professional tournaments. While we aim at promoting the game, our main objective remains to capture as much young talent as we can.

QUESTION: ITF HAS STARTED TWO SCHEMES; PLAY & STAY AND CARDIO TENNIS. YOUR TAKE, ON THE FUTURE OF THESE IN INDIA?

RANBIR : Even though the response to such a scheme at this point of time isn't that credible, we believe that this concept will soon pick up pace in no time. Play and Stay has a very bright future as it will be able to capture young talent and enable it to STAY. Mallika Bajaj a DLTA ( Delhi Lawn Tennis Assocation) player has made a movie based on Play and Stay. This movie captures the experience of everyone who participated in it: From Vijay Amritraj to Sumant Misra who is 85.

QUESTION: WHAT ARE YOU DOING SPECIFIC TO THE COMMON WEALTH GAMES?

RANBIR : Since all the matches will take place in R.K. Khanna stadium, we are in full swing to build a world class stadium for the commonwealth games.