CHENNAI : Vijay Amritraj, president of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA), said that the city might be in line to host a WTA event in early 2020. “Keeping in mind the wishes of fans in the city, we are trying to explore various possibilities of holding a good tournament. A WTA competition could be held in early 2020 here,” Amritraj, who was in the city for his annual Christmas holidays, said.
He added: “I have already made the request. We are looking to do a similar kind of event that we did for the men (Chennai Open). I have already spoken to the WTA, they are very keen to come on board. To conduct the event, it will probably cost about half of the ATP event (the Chennai Open). Talks have also been initiated with the state government,’’ he said on Wednesday.
To add variety to the city’s tennis calendar, a legends event is also on the pipeline.
“We are (also) targeting a legends event in the fall (next year). The plan is to get names like Mark Philippoussis, Pat Rafter, Richard Krajicek and Goran Ivanisevic. It would probably post the US Open. These events will inspire children and we could also have some coaching clinics for them,’’ added the former United Nations brand ambassador.
The former World No 16 also spoke about the need to protect ‘our players’ till they get to a proper standing in the game.
“We have to look after all our players... both boys and girls till they get to a particular standard and particular ranking. The key (for success) is to be consistently in the top 100 and eventually getting to the top 50. We (Indian players) did not do it. We should not lose focus, think quickly on what needs to be done and work towards it as fast as possible,’’ the 65-year-old opined.
The two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist also touched upon the fitness aspect in the game today.
“Fitness perspective is different from country to country. In leg work and hand work, no one is better than the Indians. Westerners need to work hard on this (leg work and hand work). In hand-eye coordination, Westerners are good and we have to work twice as hard as them,’’ he said.
Amritraj, who had spoken about the desire to bring a WTA meet to the city after being elected as president of the body in September, was also engaging when asked whether a Pullela Gopichand method of training could be tried in tennis.
“Yes, Gopichand has produced results, It will not be a bad idea to try out his methods of training,” he said.As far as 2019 is concerned, the city will host the Chennai Open Challenger in the week beginning February 4, two days after the the India-Italy Davis Cup tie.