he use of synthetic strings was responsible for driving tennis towards a game dominated by baseliners, felt Tim Henman, speaking on the sidelines of the Road To Wimbledon (RTW) coaching clinic at the MSLTA. “Tennis racquets are more or less the same, from my time to those in use now. It is the synthetic strings which make the difference; racquets can be stringed looser and have a bigger sweet spot, which makes a difference in the strokes.”
Mumbai is one of Henman’s stopovers as part of the initiative by the All England Lawn Tennis Association, All India Tennis Association and HSBC.
He pointed out that courts were getting slower, giving players more time off the bounce to attack the ball. “Players at the top are fitter and use the slow bounce off court surfaces to get behind the ball. This is resulting in dominance by back court players,” said the Briton, brand ambassador for the RTW initiative, involving an under-14 event and clinics. Even Wimbledon has changed, Henman said, to thicker rye grass, thus altering the bounce.
In the past, Wimbledon grass courts were distinctive for serve-and-volleyers. “The ball would skid off the surface. Now, the thicker grass results in more bounce. Players get more time to come round and win points, hence the preference for back of the court play than at the net.” Henman felt that kids should be taught net play at a young age, otherwise they would tend to get intimidated.
The Briton, a six-time Grand Slam semifinalist, with a career-best ranking of No. 4, said part of his work in RTW involved dealing with coaches and tennis parents at clinics across the world. “For kids playing tennis, it can be intimidating to face older opponents playing from the back of the court.”
With improved fitness levels, back court players are in a better position to dictate the points. “If kids can lay a better foundation in net play at a young age, they will be more at ease while facing rivals fitter than them.”
Fast hands and skillsIndian juniors have fast hands and skills, he observed, asserting that their coaches need to work on the ability to handle the physicality of tennis. “Fitness will make them more confident,” he said.
Among the Indian juniors making a mark at the National finals are Siddhant Banthia (2014 boys singles champion), Sacchitt Sharma (2015 boys singles champion), and Mahek Jain (2015 girls singles champion).
Paul Hutchins, ex-Davis Cup captain and RTW Tournament Director, was present at the clinic and coach education workshops, along with MSLTA president Bharat Oza.
