All India Tennis Association (AITA) joint secretary Sunder Iyer has said that the Tennis Premier League (TPL) is providing excellent tennis exposure to players and coaches in the country.
The fourth edition of the TPL is all set to commence on December 7 until December 11. The fast-paced and new-age league has already aided in popularizing tennis in India. The Talent Day initiative has been a crucial component of the league that not only helps structure the sport from the grassroots level but also provides the athletes with the right kind of exposure to grow.
The last leg of the Talent Day took place in Mumbai at the MSLTA grounds on November 26 and 27. Dignitaries and influential stakeholders of Indian Tennis attended the event. Sunder Iyer, Secretary of MSLTA and the Joint Secretary of AITA, was present at the event along with Team mentors of the Mumbai Leon Army and Pune Jaguars, Gaurav Kapadia and Radhika Tulpule respectively, as per a press release from TPL.
The ever-passionate Co-Founder of the Tennis Premier League Kunal Thakkur and Mrunal Jain were also present at the event. The Owner of the Mumbai Leon Army Shyam Patel was also present at the event to take in the skills of the young athletes that were competing.
Sunder Iyer said, "Tennis Premier League is doing a wonderful job. We are providing the league full support on behalf of the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) and AITA. The players and coaches are getting excellent exposure and we are building a community through this. This league is a completely new concept and was much needed in Indian tennis."
"The number of players has been rising over the years, if you look at Maharashtra itself, most of the national champions are from Maharashtra, and most of the tournaments take place in Maharashtra. Kunal and Mrunal have done a fantastic job of bringing the tennis community together. The Co-Founder of the TPL aspires to see Mumbai back on the front foot in terms of performance in tennis as it used to be a few years ago and the Talent Day initiative is doing that flawlessly," he added.
Gaurav Kapadia, also spoke about the league's positive impact on Indian Tennis, as he said, "In 2016, when none of these other leagues was popular MSLTA took up the initiative to start the Junior Tennis League in the off-season and I feel really happy to see those kids now participating here and doing well. One great thing that has happened for the players especially U14 and U18 is the chance that they are getting to bond with the professional players on and off the court through the TPL's Talent Day initiative."
"The league provides the selected players with an excellent platform and an opportunity to bond with top players and I would like to thank Mrunal and Kunal for that, it is a wonderful concept. Right from the grassroots, the players are getting to rub shoulders not only with national champions but international champions like Matt Ebden," he added.
Players from all four age groups competed in the event, Boys U-14, Girls U-18, women, and men. The Talent Day initiative provides aspiring and skilled amateurs with a platform to compete with the best from the country to showcase their talent. They also stand a chance to get selected for the league teams and play alongside world-class professional athletes.
In the Boys U-14 category, Arnav Paparkar defeated Showrya Somala by 10-6 in the finals and has been selected to represent the Mumbai Leon Army in the fourth season of the Tennis Premier League. In the second final of the category, Mannan Agarwal defeated Showrya Somala by 10-5 and has been selected to represent the Pune Jaguars in the upcoming edition of the Tennis Premier League.
Radhika Tulpule, the iconic tennis coach said, "The excitement just builds up more each year around the Tennis Premier League, it is really good to see that the league has attracted past players to participate in the talent day here today, so it is not just the juniors but also seniors from the past who have been motivated to participate and make a comeback so that they keep on striving to be the best players in Tennis. I cannot wait to help the selected players improve their skills so that they can fulfil their potential on the court."
( With inputs from ANI )
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