Away from the court for a while

The final leg of the ‘Toyota International Tennis Federation Open’ tournament, which started in Mandya and continued in Mysore, is now being held in Bangalore.

Tennis players from Australia, Cambodia, China, Italy and Thailand, apart from India,  are participating in the tournament.

The top seed player of the tournament is Ti Chen from Taipei, the second seed player is Vishnu Vardhan from Hyderabad and the third seed player is Vijayanth Malik from Haryana.

At the players’ party of the ‘Toyota ITF Men’s Open’, which was held recently, the participants were seen unwinding and chatting with each other. A live band played music and entertained the guests.The band also took requests from the audience.The DJ too pumped up the ambience with some party numbers. The tennis players were seen discussing Rafael Nadal’s recent victory. It was a refreshing break for the players who have been on the court for over two weeks.

The guests included M P Ganesh, olympian and Arjuna awardee, and others associated with the Tennis Federation.

The occasion was meant to break the monotony of the matches and give a chance for the players to rejuvenate and socialise.

Ganesh said the ‘International Tennis Federation’ is a golden opportunity for the youth  of the country.

He said that everyone is aware of the fact that tennis is the most popular sport after cricket. He added that there is abundant talent in India, especially in the rural parts of the country. “This is a great platform.

It offers the right kind of exposure and trains people.This country will produce more players like Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna in the near future,” he says.

Tournament director Sunil Yajaman said that the International Tennis Federation will help Indian players improve their rankings. He said that he is happy to have people from other countries visiting India and experiencing its culture.

“It will be nice to hear them speak about their experiences in India. After all, they are stars in the making,” he says.