When Tennis was Fun and not Business!
Internationally acclaimed tennis player of yesteryears, Anand Amritraj, along with his brother Vijay, led India into the 1974 Davis Cup finals against South Africa and was also a part of the Indian team, which reached the final of the Davis Cup in 1987 against Sweden. Anand Amritraj resides in Los Angeles, USA, and continues his passion to play tennis every day. He talks to Corporate Citizen on the glory of tennis when he was young
Suave, polite and affable Anand Amritraj, who resides in Los Angeles, USA, now has nurtured his game of tennis on Indian soil-Chennai to be precise-since he was eight years old. A rarity for children to take up this sport then, Anand says proudly that "My father paid Rs.100 fees per month for my tennis coaching, which was one-tenth of his salary!"
There were only clay courts in Madras in which he began his coaching, in a rather unique fashion. Says he, “Our coach was actually a golf Scoach and for one month, I was made to swing the forehand and backhand with an imaginary racquet and ball to get into the groove!” A month later, his mother bought him the racquet. That’s when he got to hit some real balls and says, “It was a good idea to begin with imagination as I was surprised when I could hit the real balls so easily.” Thus, a regular regimen was set wherein, he would go for private coaching for one hour, before going to school.
What set his future for tennis though was a conversation between tennis legend Ramanathan Krishnan and Anand’s mother. Reminisces Anand, “He asked my mother as to what would she like me to be when I grow up. She said since I was good in academics I could become a chartered accountant, doctor or lawyer. To that, he said that there are 1000s of such professionals and that it is rare to be a tennis champion.” That convinced her and soon Vijay Amritraj too took to tennis with Anand.
Anand feels that playing professional tennis was a pure joy during those days. Elaborating further he states that “We got into the game to enjoy it. I’m not sure if the kids today are getting into tennis for the sheer love of the sport or because it will bring them a lot of money. We never had a business-minded attitude towards the game like the youngsters seem to be having today.’’ He also rues that despite better infrastructure, Indian youngsters are just not making it to the top 100 in the international rankings. Say he, “I don’t know why they are not able to crack it to the top 100 despite a lot of facilities today and that’s where the money is. There’s no point of reaching anywhere below that.”
"We got into the game to enjoy it. I’m not sure if the kids today are getting into tennis for the sheer love of the sport or because it will bring them a lot of money. We never had a business-minded attitude towards the game like the youngsters seem to be having today"
- Anand Amritraj
Anand also feels that injuries are a regular phenomenon with today’s players unlike his own experience when he says that "I played on the national and international circuit for close to 25 years and went through without injuries except for two minor ones."
Anand is also amused as to how a professional player today is accompanied by a group comprising a coach, masseur and so on. In contrast, “I was Vijay’s coach and he was my coach. We never had a whole infrastructure around us. We supported each other and enjoyed the life of travelling from one place to another. The memory I cherish the most is of the year 1986 when we travelled for our tournaments to Paris and Rome and also got to meet the Pope in a private audience.”
Those were the days when parents of young players did not play a game of one-upmanship and brought stress by microscopically watching the performances of their children, for every tournaments small or big. Says Anand, “Our parents and that of any of my peers who played then, never got involved, trying to shout out while the game is on or trying to distract the concentration of the opponent. What is happening today is ridiculous and uncouth. I’ve heard it happens in the USA also but here, I practice with a 13-year-old tennis player every Monday - he is the No.1 player in his category in South California and of Indian origin, and I must say his father who accompanies him is a very decent gentleman. Perhaps, he is a rarity these days.”
Anand also trashes the newfound obsession with diet amongst tennis players who are still little children. He says, “I do not agree about having a specific diet to improve performance on the tennis court. I ate whatever I wanted to and still weigh 170 pounds, for so many years. The secret is to eat everything in moderation. I start my day by eating a piece of chocolate cake with my morning tea. I love Indian food, Italian food and cheeseburger. I was never a picky eater and was not too fond of vegetables but all this, did not hurt my performance. It's absolute nonsense to analyse what food leads to winning a game. Winning and losing is a couple of points here and there. It all depends on whether you win the big shots. It is not what you ate or how you practised that day. It’s not that complicated at all.”
Would he like to be a young tennis player today instead of those days when the game was really not very popular or did not have money? Says he candidly, “If I was given a chance, I would still like to play in the 1970s, 80s and the 90s as playing tennis was joyful and not filled with stress and pressure.”