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It's back with a bang
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The Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association has once again decided that the best way to promote the game is to host a big tournament that features big stars
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PHOTOS: AFP AND BHAGYA PRAKASH K
STAR ATTRACTION Sania Mirza is definitely the biggest crowd puller. Even the lensmen (above) shoot her in the stands instead of the action on court
Thinking big is the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association's (KSLTA) strategy when it comes to popularising the game. While many associations opt for the traditional route of conducting more local events, having camps and spreading into the districts, the KSLTA believes that a game can capture the imagination of the public, only when a mega event is held. Home-grown international stars help build interest in the game, but it is even better if the public gets to see them in flesh rather than on TV.
This strategy first tried when the World Doubles Championship (WDC) was held in 2000. Looking back at the decision to host such a world class event, C.S. Sunder Raju, Secretary, KSLTA says: "It was the kind of push that the game needed in the State, we wanted everyone to know that Karnataka is back with a bang (in tennis)."
Challenges
It was easy to decide to host an event but the challenges involved were tremendous. There was no infrastructure worth its name and everything had to be built from scratch. The last big event that KSLTA had hosted was the Davis Cup tie against Sweden in 1985-86, and the association was quite dormant after that show. The presence of S.M. Krishna, who was then Chief Minister of Karnataka and also President of KSLTA, which had its new set of office bearers in 2000, helped to a large extent. It ensured that the KSLTA stayed on course without facing too many bottlenecks on infrastructure and made a coordinated effort to raise funds for the championship. Virtually a brand new Stadium, re-christened as Kingfisher KSLTA Stadium, took shape and the major event that preceded the WDC was the Legends Tour, which was an event to remember and a great appetiser for the big show to follow. Bjorn Bog, Henri Leconte and Pat Cash were some of greats who enthralled the crowd, bringing back memories of their vintage days. And of course, there was that eternal clown, Mansour Bahrami, who had fans roaring in delight with his antics.
The WDC brought the best doubles pairs from all over the World and top on popularity chart were Indian duo, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. The KSLTA hunch about the success of the event proved right, as day after day crowds thronged the Stadium. It was a unique experience for the spectators to watch doubles matches. Doubles had never attracted crowds, either at national tournaments or even at the world level. It had remained a sideshow to the singles matches. The key matches were played under floodlights, and for one week, Cubbon Park assumed a totally different character. But to the disappointment of the fans, Bhupathi and Paes failed to take the title despite reaching the final. Buoyed by the success the WDC, the KSLTA went for the second edition, which was called the Touchtel World Doubles Cup, in 2001. That too proved to be a big draw.
Fans, who now knew a thing or two about doubles, thronged the courts as part of a promotional drive. The event also had a fashion show and a rock band playing between the matches. The American brothers, Bob and Mike Bryan, who were among the leading contenders in the championship, were also accomplished musicians. They hit the band-stand to play their stuff. Bhupathi and Paes were again the favourites but crashed out early.
The two-mega events put Bangalore on the world tennis map but as organisers the KSLTA found itself with a big financial deficit. The years that followed were hard and they had to think twice about hosting a big tournament again. The spunky KSLTA team now seems to have bounced back with the $175,000 WTA Bangalore Open with Globosport. For the first time, a WTA event is being played at the KSLTA Stadium and everyone hopes that it becomes an outstanding success and ushers in a new era and awareness about the women's tennis in the country.
The presence Sania Mirza, is a huge plus for Bangalore Open and no other sportsperson perhaps given such a boost to the game like the feisty Hyderabadi teenager.
It is no secret that the number of girls wanting to play tennis has gone up after the fairytale climb of Sania in the women's tennis
rankings, and at the end of Bangalore Open, the numbers are bound to swell.
KALYAN ASHOK
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