Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
Advantage Ramesh
|
The hero of many Davis Cup wins, Ramesh Krishnan, keeps an enduring relationship with the Indian team.
|
Ramesh Krishnan with Leander Paes
IN A sport where the `gentleman' has now become a rare species, Ramesh Krishnan, the former Indian ace, epitomised sportsmanship and civility. A hero of many Davis Cup wins for the country, Ramesh keeps an enduring relationship with the Indian Davis Cup team, of which he is now the non-playing captain.
Ramesh has his eyes focussed on the forthcoming Davis Cup match against the formidable Australia, which comes up in September. The tie, he predicts, will be an absorbing one with India having a clear edge in the doubles. The presence of the Australian ace, Lleyton Hewitt, playing before home crowd at Adelaide, should be a tough proposition for India. But, Ramesh has his hopes pinned on Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.
One wonders if Indian tennis is now all about just Paes and Bhupathi. There are more in the line such as Rohan Bopanna, Harsh Mankad, Srinath and Manoj Mahadevan. Ramesh, however, feels they "have miles to go". "We would have a great team if other players substantially improve their world rankings," he adds.
There is sea change as far as the sport in the country is concerned, he says. "During our days, we were into tennis, because of family support. Now, the base has widened with associations and tennis academies pitching in. The number of players has grown, but so have the demands. Today's kids are a lot more under pressure to prove themselves. We simply enjoyed playing," observes Ramesh.
Ramesh and his father, Ramanathan Krishnan, run the Krishnan Tennis Academy in Chennai, which has been producing some top class junior talents. The National Grass Court champion, Manoj Mahadevan, was trained at the Krishnan academy. "The point is we (at tennis academies) take a player to a certain level, but performing at higher levels is up to them. For that they need tours, sponsors and a steady all-round support," explains Ramesh.
His daughters, Gayathri and Nandita, have participated in the RCS-AITA sub-junior ranking championship, conducted by the Kims Tennis Academy.
Can Gayathri and Nandita keep alive the Krishnan tradition? "Gayathri is a little more serious and she reached the semi-finals,'' says Ramesh.
KALYAN ASHOK
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
