As tennis gains popularity in many parts of the country including Mangaluru. The passion for the game resulted in the creation of the Ramakrishna Tennis Club over 27 years ago.
It is located at Shiva Bagh in Kadri and is the prime breeding ground for aspiring tennis players in the city.
The city’s oldest tennis club now looks towards the younger generation to continue the passion for the game. The club began on a court at the Ramakrishna group of Institutions in Bunts Hostel.
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“As the institute had allowed us to set up a court there, we named the club after them. Even though we moved to Kadri over 21 years ago, when we bought a piece of barren land there, the name has stuck on,” says Abdul Salam, the club president and a prominent businessman.
The club has two clay courts and a club house. Maintaining the court, however, is a herculean effort. With the searing heat, it is imperative to ensure the court is regularly watered and rolled to prevent layers of dust . “On a daily basis, around 10 to 12 people come in the morning to play and we have to ensure the court is ready for play,” says Parashuram, who took the job of caretaker after his uncle – retired.
The club has also taken on the mantle of inculcating the love for the game among the younger generation. Its vacation camps for school children are a regular feature. Though numerous children have joined the camps and opted for private coaching in the hope of taking tennis as a sport, Salam rues that it is becoming difficult to find a suitable coach. “It is not easy to find a professional full-time coach within our budget,” he says, adding that talks were underway with a Bangalore based-company for providing regular coaching facility in the city.
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He adds, “If the deal goes through, a regular coach may be posted at the club from the next year.”