The Hindu : Sport : Hitting it off with the kids

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Monday, Jan 04, 2010
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Hitting it off with the kids

Raakesh Natraj

— Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

Somdev Devvarman gives some tips to a youngster on Sunday.

Chennai: Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna found that their court coverage increased manifold as they hit a few balls around in the ‘Play the pros’ programme organised as a part of the Aircel Chennai Open.

Playing in miniature courts, the Indian Davis Cuppers, along with the likes of Marin Cilic and Rainer Schuettler, spent time with about a hundred kids in an effort to ‘sharpen their skills.’

Good response

Initially by themselves, the kids were soon huddled in twos and threes as they shared court space with the players. When the queues got unwieldy, the usher’s cloying composure was replaced with the righteous countenance of a traffic cop!

A kid that sent a winner past Bopanna was rewarded with a yank that hauled him back into the surging wave of kids awaiting their turn.

Fifteen minutes worth of rallies transpired, a few questions went unanswered. “Who is to partner Rohan Bopanna in the doubles event here?" "That Pakistani guy?" didn’t cut it with the emcee.

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