Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy (MBTA) and IT giants HCL have come together to organise an inter-school tournament, beginning July 27 at the DLTA complex, to tap the talent at the grassroots level.
Around 30-35 schools in Delhi and NCR region are likely to participate in the competition with the winner earning the week-long opportunity to train at the Schuttler Waske Tennis University in Germany, where 2014 boys’ doubles Wimbledon Champion Sumit Nagal is learning the ropes. The HCL will look after the cost of travel and stay.
The tournament is divided into two categories - Team Championship (for under-15 boys and girls) and individual championship (for under-17 boys and girls). Each school can send a maximum of five participants per team.
The MBTA CEO and former player Gaurav Natekar said they view the event as a long-term venture and even plan to take it to the other states. “But we are just starting out, still taking the baby steps. We are also looking at other cities but at this time, we haven’t thought too far ahead, we will evolve with time,” Natekar said.
“We believe there is a lot of talent in the north and we want to tap that talent. MBTA has been working on the grassroots for 6-7 years. We want to spread the tennis at the grassroots. It is not easy. We have invited schools in excess of 100 but some of them refused to give permission to the students. This is a very wrong attitude.”
Natekar hoped Nagal’s success would inspire youngsters to follow the sport but made it clear that MBTA had no role in youngster’s progress. “MBTA cannot take credit for Nagal. Our focus has been on grassroots so far. Yes, Nagal trained with us in Bangalore in one of the programmes but when the sponsors crunch happened, Mahesh personally took him under his wings and found sponsors for him,” Natekar said.
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