This month we have Radhika Kanitkar writing about her trip with the Under 16 ITF International Team:
August 6th, 2009. Pune,India.
U/16 I.T.F. INTERNATIONAL TENNIS TEAM, SUMMER 2009
This year again I got an opportunity to travel with the ITF junior team to Europe. The ITF has been sending such junior teams every year to train and then complete in the European grade I (highest level of tournaments in Europe) tennis tournaments. This is an excellent base and opportunity for the players as they see what level of tennis is played in the rest of the world. The players selected are no doubt among the top players in their own countries but after they see what the level of tennis is in Europe they initially get a shock as they find it quite difficult and every match right from the first round is equivalent to playing a semis or finals back home. They realize during this tour how much they need to work if they want to become professional players!
The team comprised of 9 players – 5 girls and 4 boys.
Girls:
Ran Tian - China
Steffi Carruthers – Samoa
Zarah Razafimahatratra – Madagascar
Yasmin Ebada – Egypt
Carolina Betancourt - Mexico
Boys:
Cao Gyang yu – China
Jeson Patrombon – Philippines
Ariez Deen Heshaam – Malaysia
karim Hossam - Egypt
It was a disappointing to see that the team had not even one Indian player in this category. In a country so huge why cant we produce good players?!!! Is one questions which always pinches me!!! China has proved their existence in the international arena very strongly! One of the reasons for it that I got after interaction with various coaches is that they have a system which is followed in the entire country!
Spain also to give you an example, you go to the different tennis academies in spain, you will find the same common 10 drills that each one of them do day in and day out! I honestly feel repitation is one of the important factor of improvement.
After an excellent one-week training camp at Renato Vavassori’s Tennis Center in Palazzolo, Italy, the players from the ITF International team were ready for the U16 Summer tour.
ITF players, made it to nine finals: four champioships and five runner ups!
Rian Tian from China, ITF (1994), and Aleksandra Sasnovich from Belarus (Tennis Europe team) won, in doubles, four out of five finals they played. They were clearly the most dominant couple of the tour!
On the boys side Guanyu Cao (China) and Jeson Patrombon (Philippines) got to three dobles finals of three tournaments they signed in as couple.
Zarah Razafimahatrata from Madasgascar (1994) agaist all the odds (even hers!) made the singles final at Le Pontet in France.
Besides the above highlights results, the ITF team reached several semifinals and quarter finals rounds in singles and in doubles.
My personal opinion is ” This is a great opportunity for the Asian, African, and Central American players to see how much more seriously they have to train in order to beat day in and day out, the tough European and South American players. In general, physicaly and mentaly our players are a little below the world top standards in their age group ”.
All nine players had to pay a visit to the Physiotherapist office at least once, during the five-week circuit, due to injuries.
The only two players that returned from last year team were Guanyu Cao and Carolina Betancourt (Mexico). They both, won many more matches in this tour than they had previously done it a year ago.
“Playing in Europe is a shock for many of the ITF International team members because they have to deal with a very diferent world from theirs: Language, culture, food, jet lag, aggressive competitors, surfaces (“Quick”?, What is that?!), 100 k/h winds!, etc. But at the end of the tour,when all the ITF players return home, they return as stronger tennis players, and with a clearer picture in their mind of what they need to focus on to keep up in the road that leads to professional tennis”, said Guillermo Stevens ITF team captain (Mexico) who also travelled with me on this tour. In fact this is the 2nd time that we have teamed up together and are working for the ITF.
Tennis Europe, COSAT, along with ITF International team, won most of the 20 titles that were disputed throughout the five-week U16 European tour.
Radhika Kanitkar
August 6th, 2009. Pune,India.
U/16 I.T.F. INTERNATIONAL TENNIS TEAM, SUMMER 2009
This year again I got an opportunity to travel with the ITF junior team to Europe. The ITF has been sending such junior teams every year to train and then complete in the European grade I (highest level of tournaments in Europe) tennis tournaments. This is an excellent base and opportunity for the players as they see what level of tennis is played in the rest of the world. The players selected are no doubt among the top players in their own countries but after they see what the level of tennis is in Europe they initially get a shock as they find it quite difficult and every match right from the first round is equivalent to playing a semis or finals back home. They realize during this tour how much they need to work if they want to become professional players!
The team comprised of 9 players – 5 girls and 4 boys.
Girls:
Ran Tian - China
Steffi Carruthers – Samoa
Zarah Razafimahatratra – Madagascar
Yasmin Ebada – Egypt
Carolina Betancourt - Mexico
Boys:
Cao Gyang yu – China
Jeson Patrombon – Philippines
Ariez Deen Heshaam – Malaysia
karim Hossam - Egypt
It was a disappointing to see that the team had not even one Indian player in this category. In a country so huge why cant we produce good players?!!! Is one questions which always pinches me!!! China has proved their existence in the international arena very strongly! One of the reasons for it that I got after interaction with various coaches is that they have a system which is followed in the entire country!
Spain also to give you an example, you go to the different tennis academies in spain, you will find the same common 10 drills that each one of them do day in and day out! I honestly feel repitation is one of the important factor of improvement.
After an excellent one-week training camp at Renato Vavassori’s Tennis Center in Palazzolo, Italy, the players from the ITF International team were ready for the U16 Summer tour.
ITF players, made it to nine finals: four champioships and five runner ups!
Rian Tian from China, ITF (1994), and Aleksandra Sasnovich from Belarus (Tennis Europe team) won, in doubles, four out of five finals they played. They were clearly the most dominant couple of the tour!
On the boys side Guanyu Cao (China) and Jeson Patrombon (Philippines) got to three dobles finals of three tournaments they signed in as couple.
Zarah Razafimahatrata from Madasgascar (1994) agaist all the odds (even hers!) made the singles final at Le Pontet in France.
Besides the above highlights results, the ITF team reached several semifinals and quarter finals rounds in singles and in doubles.
My personal opinion is ” This is a great opportunity for the Asian, African, and Central American players to see how much more seriously they have to train in order to beat day in and day out, the tough European and South American players. In general, physicaly and mentaly our players are a little below the world top standards in their age group ”.
All nine players had to pay a visit to the Physiotherapist office at least once, during the five-week circuit, due to injuries.
The only two players that returned from last year team were Guanyu Cao and Carolina Betancourt (Mexico). They both, won many more matches in this tour than they had previously done it a year ago.
“Playing in Europe is a shock for many of the ITF International team members because they have to deal with a very diferent world from theirs: Language, culture, food, jet lag, aggressive competitors, surfaces (“Quick”?, What is that?!), 100 k/h winds!, etc. But at the end of the tour,when all the ITF players return home, they return as stronger tennis players, and with a clearer picture in their mind of what they need to focus on to keep up in the road that leads to professional tennis”, said Guillermo Stevens ITF team captain (Mexico) who also travelled with me on this tour. In fact this is the 2nd time that we have teamed up together and are working for the ITF.
Tennis Europe, COSAT, along with ITF International team, won most of the 20 titles that were disputed throughout the five-week U16 European tour.
Radhika Kanitkar
