Aasiri Iddamalgoda (SLTA Chairman of Selection Committee)

When I started it was the early 1980s, the difference between then and now is big. In the 1980s the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) played a huge role in player development. Unlike now where there are academies and other nurturing centers in Sri Lanka, the SLTA took a grunt of training all national players. During my playing days all national squad players were practicing together under the SLTA programme. SLTA had a system for all seven days the week where anyone could practice and a national coach was available during that time. It brought all national players from all parts of the country to one place for practices.

But now top players dispersed into separate academies and they are not getting the amount of tennis, they should get. Academies are not bad but since they charge by hours, it all has become moneyrelated. During our days, we paid a monthly fee and we could play at our convenience. In addition the SLTA had a programme of providing free practicing and playing facilities to its national players. I was also brought up during that era, when your potential was given a true welcome.

Tennis played by the top players is not enough. If you look at other countries a good player spends over 18 hours playing per week. This is not happening with our top players. The reasons behind them are simple: we don’t have the perfect infrastructure as academies are run by two or three courts whilst they have over 50 players in it. So it creates a great demand among the players for playtime. This is a major issue.

Since for the past couple of years the participation and the quality of club tennis has reduced. Then Kandy was a major force as a good feeder to the national stream, so was Jaffna and Galle. But it has all changed today. The SLTA during the last couple of years have come out with comprehensive plans for the juniors, which is good. I see that there is lot of potential in junior tennis but I haven’t seen the sustainability in quality. When an Under-10 player reaches the Under-18 age group he is not the same as used to be. Sometimes players have given up the sport due to various reasons. Primarily tennis is an expensive sport; it’s not easy for a parent to support. For me my father and sister were tennis players and this prompted me into it. I personally had no trouble because our family was engaged in tennis already. Then I went through the SLTA channel before reaching the top. At the same time the schools structure is also equally important. But unfortunately the interschool tournament cannot be called a viable one. It’s because none of them are products of those respective schools. For example, the top players are produced by outside academies or the SLTA. According to my observation, the only school that has a development programme for tennis is St. Peter’s College Colombo. They focus on development, the pick players from outside, give them scholarships and spend relatively a good amount for the sport. Dinesh Karthik is one good example. Besides that I don’t think any of the other schools are not the same, because the parents play a bigger role at other schools.

If I focus on the previous 30 years of tennis or Davis Cup of Sri Lanka, I think the SLTA’s focus has been very much similar. We can do better but it all depends on the amount of money the SLTA has in possession. The earlier system of SLTA in brining all national players into one court or place is not viable anymore because of many reasons. The focus of SLTA certainly has not diminished but certainly it can improve from what it is now.

SLTA is not an association that makes big money. It makes a certain amount per year but whatever the circumstances it supports the national structure such as the junior teams and the Davis Cup teams to go abroad and even to host the Davis Cup here in Sri Lanka. Sometimes to do all these, the amount given by the International Tennis Federation is insufficient and the SLTA has to finance, sometimes, a major portion. The SLTA is balanced in their books but we have to be like India, who followed a comprehensive programme to promote the sport and players alike to the global arena.

I think we should give our players more exposure and the improved quantity of quality international tournaments will make the much needed difference. We need good establishments from the corporate sector to come forward and sponsor the sport as happening in India. In India establishments employ potential players and are given the much needed support to them with all facilities up to a certain level. The progress beyond depends on the development of the individual. This system is in existence in India for the past 15 years or more and today they are enjoying the dividends.

We have to be practical if we the SLTA are to deploy a comprehensive marketing strategy. It will definitely help tennis but the problem is if the SLTA is in a strong position to employ personals at an era where all are being run by officials who are working on honorary basis. The set of officials too keeps changing, though it’s not the most preferred thing. It’s very easy to say what needs to be done for development but I know it’s not an easy task as it appears. The SLTA administration is trying its best. They are doing a fine job but there is more room to improve.