Hyderabad: Hyderabad is now the pathway to hallowed Wimbledon. The city has been chosen as one of the stops on the Road To Wimbledon junior tournament, reaffirming the commitment of the All England Lawn Tennis Club to boost development of tennis in India.
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Indore are the other locations on the Road To Wimbledon initiative, as part of which All England Club head coach Dan Bloxham and former British No.1 Tim Henman will host coaching clinics and workshops for players under 14 years of age.
The top 16 boys and girls from across the four qualifying events — in Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Indore — will be invited to the Road to Wimbledon Junior Masters to be held on the grass courts of Kolkata with the two boys and girls finalists invited to compete in the UK HSBC National Finals at Wimbledon in August.
After making a winning debut in 2014 when Siddhant Banthia won the boys’ singles outright, last year saw Sacchitt Sharma retain the boys’ crown and Mahak Jain won the girls’ title.
Bloxham is currently heading the three-day camp in Hyderabad that began on Monday. He was upbeat about the talent on show. “It’s a pleasure to impart tips on goal-setting, diet, hand-eye coordination to these young players,” Bloxham, who is also Wimbledon’s master of ceremonies, said at a press conference.
Road To Wimbledon tournament director Paul Hutchins said the All England Club was embarking on this development programme as it “would like to bring the magic of Wimbledon to the Junior side.”
“It’s important to develop very good singles players in India,” the former British Davis Cup captain added.
Ashok Kumar, Tournament Director for Hyderabad and secretary for the Telangana State Tennis Association, was elated. “Welcoming Road To Wimbledon for the first time in Hyderabad means a lot to the state of Telangana. It provides a platform to boost the image of junior tennis in India and an opportunity to develop the game. On behalf of our president K. T. Rama Rao, we appreciate the Road To Wimbledon choosing Hyderabad as a venue,” he said.
