THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Britannia Amritraj Tennis (BAT) Academy which produced tennis superstars like Leander Paes and Somdev Devvarman during the 1990s in Chennai is all set to be reborn. And this time, the resurrected academy could be headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram.
Rechristened as the Beta Ace Technique (BAT) Tennis Academy, it is J Rajmohan Pillai, son of Rajan Pillai, who collaborated with former tennis player Vijay Amritraj in the 1990s for the original project, who is heading talks to start the academy at the Trivandrum Sports Hub, Kariavattom here.
Rajmohan, chairman of the Beta Group which sponsors freshly launched Kerala Tennis League, is in advanced talks with Tenvic Sports Education which is owned by former India cricketer Anil Kumble to operate three tennis courts at the facility which also includes the Greenfield International Stadium.
Tenvic had signed a contract with IL&FS, owners of the stadium and adjoining infrastructure, to operate the facilities in February 2016. “We will be investing around Rs 100 crore in the academy and we are hoping that we can strike a deal with Tenvic within a couple of months,” said Rajmohan.
BAT Academy also plans to start feeder academies in various parts of the country with the objective of nurturing a Grand Slam champions from India. “With our first initiative, which ran till 1997, it was a huge success because we managed to produce stars like Paes and Devvarman,” Rajmohan said.
He said that they have roped in New Zeland coach Paul Smith who has trained the likes of Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. “He will be visiting the academy often while we will have another five international coaches who will manage the local coaches,” he said.
Around 30 youngsters, aged between 14 and 17 years, will be trained at the facility in Kariavattom if the talks go through. Also, around 15 students will be given tennis coaching free of cost while the academy will also bear the expenses of the trainees who will participate in tournaments across the country and abroad.