CHENNAI: Vijay Amritraj welcomes the news that some of the Indian tennis players were back in training when lockdown rules were relaxed in various places. According to him, returning to the court will have a positive impact, but he advises that it will be better if tournaments are held after some time.
The likes of Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Sasikumar Mukund, Manish Suresh Kumar trained and practised in Chennai after special permission, while Rohan Bopanna found time in Bengaluru. “It is good to note that players have begun practice. It is important to come out, play and train after a long time. No matter how many hours you train at home, the joy of playing on a tennis court is different,’’ said Vijay from USA.
“When you start practising again, you shed rust. It gives you hope that things will return to normal and prepares your mind.” Vijay, president of Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, feels it will be difficult to set a date for events in India. “Chennai is in the red zone and in various parts of the country, there are many cases every day.
The situation is not conducive for tournaments. Resumption will depend on the government’s advice,” said the 66-year-old. Novak Djokovic has tested positive for Covid-19, with a clutch of other players who participated in an exhibition event hosted by the World No 1. “As said earlier, it is always a positive thing for a sportsman to come out and try to start playing. Djokovic was unlucky. But he is mentally tough and should emerge out of it successfully,’’ opined Vijay.
Will the Djokovic experience have an impact on US Open? “Too early to say. We will get a clear idea when we get close to it. But yes, the Djkovic experience is an eye opener.’ Many Indian players are ruing the fact that there will be no qualifiers in US Open this year. This could deny them ranking points and money. “The situation has demanded such measures. But I am sure some of our players may still get to play, as we still don’t who all will play.”