Player development and global tennis

Over 200 countries have made tennis to be one of their national sports. Their hope is for international sports participation. Apart from ATP, WTA, Davis Cup and women’s Kings Cup, tennis is an Olympic and regional games sport. In our world of today symbolises modernity of a nation. This has made tennis standard of country significant in the ladder-of-recognition globally. Here Sri Lanka as a nation along with many does not shine bright.

USA is one of the two countries that fostered the game from inception in late 1800. That makes USA tennis a 140-year-old sport. They won the coveted Davis Cup many times. Surprisingly, USA this year had to play qualifying round against Ukraine to play in the Davis Cup final. This shows there is no surety of in player development for any country, in development methodology anymore.

Players of today develop on professional line and they are targeting mega money events such

as ATP for men and WTA for women. History and label

Tennis’ attraction to countries is historic. The origin of its development stemmed by England and USA, superpowers of that era, in the late 19th century. The game grew ever since under the management of International Tennis Federation (ITF) officially formed in 1915. Sri Lanka joined ITF in 1915 under the colonial rule. That makes us to be one of the founder members if ITF and played the first Davis Cup 1950 in Canada.

Today, only the junior ITF rankings has some weight in recognition, all adult rankings are with professional bodies. Nations have their own player rankings but its validity outside their borders is zero.

ATP and WTA

At the top end of competitive and attractive events, these two professional bodies call shots in tennis. They promote players and events, act on player discipline using their ranking eligibility and fines as the whip. For example during the Grand Slam weeks, eligible player must play these events. If not they will lose a lot.

The strength of WTA and ATP player participation is strong in all developed countries. As it stands it accommodates women’s participation, professionalism and others as and when need arises.

New-Gen an ID for talent

In tennis, stroke-making ability, height, body mass, sports intelligence and work discipline are the measurable criteria in talents. Often extracted from players performance in Open events.

The New-Gen identity and its start was a few years back, when fresh new talents did not sustain their performances. It was the height of Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic era. ATP was desperate to find replacements. The creation and selection into New-Gen identity was indeed a bright spark of ATP management.

ATP – Coaching team is it IMG?

I do not know the clear-cut method ATP uses too well in player support. The selection pool for New-Gen is off ATP men’s ranking. Salient and noticeable factors could be age, completion record, stroke making ability, height or body mass, athletic ability, court sense and good few known sporting straights known to public.

One more aspect came into IMG management, ‘coaching team’. With that, player development could not remain a family or for that matter national association business. Most of the top end players are with IMG, a well-known and very well reputed sports player management outfit started by none other than Mark McCormick. [Story by itself, he is the man who wrote management bible ‘What they don’t teach in Harvard School of Business’] McCormick was very successful as golf promoter and brought in few other sports into his runaway success. His approach helped players and events.

National development of players

Nobody in sane mind should touch on this. Why national? They are sitting on resources. Locally, admitting the limitations, a revolutionary turn must surface in the approach of parents, coaches and in nations. In many countries, development of juniors falls short of becoming globally recognised tennis players. I believe this to be so in many sports. Those criteria and the method ATP and WTA has adapted for their selection of NewGen

could be a guide for all of us in ‘sport talent’ selection for all. It can make a difference.

Recently Jannik Sinner of Italy won his maiden Grand Slam title in Australia. He was former NewGen player. The other former New-Gen players now in the main stream of global professional tennis are, Alexander Zverev, Denis Shapovalou, Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, Alex de Minnaur, Taylor Fritz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz, Andrey Rublev, Borna Coric, Felix AliAssime, Daniil Medvedev, Matteo Berrettini, Frances Tiafoe and a few more. They are from the mainstream ATP and WTA events and not from isolated age group or other arrangement of convenience. Back to the drawing board. Looking at the names and as person who follows tennis, all of them are players who faced the Open events of the world from their junior days on. “Open” is the catchword.This is where a country's tennis standard prevail. --George Paldano, European and Asian competition player; Coach German Tennis Federation; National coach Brunei and Sri Lanka; Davis Cup, Federation Cup coach, coached ATP, WTA and ITF ranked players in Europe and Asia; WhatsApp

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