A bunch of kids are practising endlessly and they seem to enjoy it the most, even though they are far away from their family. At the High Performance Tennis Center, tennis is the only thing on the minds of these youngsters as they aspire to be the next Roger Federer or Serena Williams.
Situated at the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association, HPTC is an advanced tennis training program being run by Zygo Sports with Sunil Yajaman as its director.
It’s been seven years since the initiative began, with Yajaman at the helm for more than three years, and the HPTC is doing a fine job in moulding the talent. To begin with, HPTC has the challenge of creating a home-like atmosphere for its wards, who are predominantly in the age group of 8-16. But HPTC, probably the only 'complete' tennis academy in India with schooling, residence with world class infrastructure and program provided under one roof, has been successful in its venture.
“The relationship between the coach and players is something very important. Here, we are as friendly as we can be with trainees and make them feel comfortable and at home,” says Anirudh Thammanna, who at 23, is the head coach of the academy.
The practice sessions are usually for five days, once each in the morning and evening and it runs through the year with a ten-day break in April and December. “It’s tough, undoubtedly, but to be the best we have to make them tougher. But the kids who come here are not just normal kids, they have come here with tennis as their passion. At first, they miss home and struggle to cope with training but then their love for the game keeps them going,” explains Thammanna, who is the youngest Level II tennis coach in India.
For these youngsters the challenge lies in adapting to the training methods, a rigorous one for the young, developing bodies. After a weekend break, they are full of energy but by Thursday they have nothing left to offer and it’s here that the HPTC’s other wings come into the picture.
“Unlike young tennis players from Europe, here the physical growth is very slow. But at the HPTC we have specialised nutrition and fitness programs. We have a full-time physical trainer Aiyappa, who keeps the trainees fit,” says Thammana, who has three assistant coaches on his support staff.
The focus is not just on technique but the program is tailored to identify individual strengths and work on it. “The projections skills are very important here. If you see Rafael Nadal’s game it’s just not technique, but it’s about hitting the ball where you want, that’s what we call as projection skills,” Thammanna elaborated.
Among all these there is also obligation to study with a team of teachers imparting education under the National Open School system, so that the trainees don’t miss out on that essential part in their lives.