As I queue up to sign in for the qualifying draw at Khar Gymkhana, I'm feeling a bit embarrassed. Everyone around me is a teenager or a 20-something old. No one else around me is an out of shape corporate executive or a 30 year old trying to live out his fantasy of being a professional tennis player.
Khar April '10 is my third attempt at playing the qualifying draw of an All India Tennis Association ranking tournament. Some of my friends think I'm crazy for trying. I think I'm crazy for not having tried earlier. Pune Feb '09 was my first attempt'; a short-lived one at that. A first round loss 4-7 to a Sikh player on the clay (felt like sand) courts. For anyone who's not played on clay-sand courts, its like playing on a trampoline - at times, the ball goes dead on bounce; at others, it springs to life and over your head. I can now empathize with the Spanish players who didn't think it was worth traveling to Wimbledon in the days when grass courts were tailored for serve-n-volleyers and weren't the quasi-hard courts they are today.
Juhu Vile Parle Gymkhana Feb '10 was my second attempt. This time, I won my first match in qualifying 9-6 against a certain Mr. Jadhav. I was ecstatic. My first win in a national level tournament. The fact that it was in the qualifying draw didn't dampen my pride. The next day, I lost in the second round 3-9 to another Sikh – Deepender Singh Bains, who has a cannonball of a serve and a good forehand to go with it. I took comfort in the fact that he was ranked around 160 in India. I took greater comfort when I learnt that he had won a small (in terms of prize money) AITA tournament the week prior and as a result would move to no. 69 in the AITA rankings.
So back to Khar. My first round on Saturday morning was at the Willingdon Catholic Gymkhana (used for extra courts needed to complete the qualifying draw) against a player named Gaikwad. Under 20 and a pretty average game... but a below-average match temperament. In five service games, he served up 12 double faults and I manged to win 8-2. The highlight for me was a screaming forehand winner down the line. My idol Steffi Graf would have been proud. I even heard two people (among the 8 officials and other players hanging around) say “What a Shot!!”
My second round match I learn is 6 hours later against a player named Ganesh Acharye. I come back home, shower, eat, relax and try to look him up on the AITA site. No mention of him... means he's unranked like me. My confidence is bolstered. I get back to Khar in time and watch as two players take to Court 1 to begin their match while I wait for mine (they have 2 courts here and mine is the next scheduled one on the adjacent court). One of the players involved in that match is Awasthi, seeded 15th in the qualifying draw. The match is peppered with amazing rallies, the kinds I've seen on TV at the ATP tournaments. My match is soon called and I look around for my opponent. As we start our warm up with worn out balls, I begin to dissect his game. Good serve if he gets it in. Average groundstrokes. I feel I can win this one too. As our match is about to start, I ask the umpire if we can get new balls to play with. He says sorry you need to play with these. I begin well and soon am leading 2-0. My opponent is having a hard time keeping the ball in play. At 4-0, I notice that Awasthi and opponent get a new can of balls opened for themselves mid-way through their set. I have half a mind to go up to the umpire and complain about the discriminatory treatment. I hold back thinking I'm leading, so why interrupt a winning streak. I'm also thinking thank god I didn't draw Awasthi or his opponent who are still scorching the adjacent court. I would have surely lost. I'm sure they were wondering why they didn't draw me or my opponent. Either of them would have surely beaten either of us. Luck of the draw I guess. I soon win 8-1. Highlights include a serve-n-cheeky-half-volley winner and a two-handed backhand that would have made Mr. Graf proud.
My next match is on Sunday at noon at Khar Gymkhana itself against Prashant Sawant. A quick check online reveals he is a year older to me and currently ranked no. 113 in the AITA rankings. Suddenly I'm not feeling so confident but what the heck. I've won two matches and there's no shame in losing to the 113th best player in India. Basil chicken and rice at Cafe Basilico, a squabble with brother regarding airport duties and a boring movie later, I head to bed with my mind full of possibilities.
I wake up at 9 am, feeling a bit run down.. tired and not in the most confident frame of mind.. I get my dose of the morning papers and IPLgate; and start getting ready to leave home. Winning makes you superstitious I realize... I go for the same clothes, cap, socks and wristbands (all being washed mind you). In the train, I listen to some high-tempo music to pump me up. Madonna screaming in my ears “I'm out of time and all I got is 4 minutes” and Black Eyed Peas telling me “ I gotta feeling.. Tonight's gonna be a good night.”
I reach Khar gym and discover my match would probably start only post 1 pm. Time to lounge around. I pull up a chair, get myself a chicken jungli sandwich, eavesdrop on those around me and watch some of the tennis going on. I overhear someone mention my opponent's name. They refer to him as the big fat guy from Maharashtra. My confidence is bolstered again. If he's as big as they suggest, maybe I can move him around and try to capitalize on his movement. I don't have the prototype body of a tennis player.. Far from it... Diametrically opposite it maybe. But one thing I can do is cover the court pretty well and run around.
I notice a pretty middle-aged woman talking to some of the players and the parents. My imagination goes into overdrive. Perhaps she's a sports reporter from one of the city newspapers looking out for an interesting sports story. She gives me a couple of curious glances. I can imagine a story on myself in one of the papers.. about a 30 year old corporate executive and his passion for tennis. I'm thinking what the headline would be – THE FOURTH IDIOT perhaps. My thoughts are interrupted by a cheer for a winning shot by one of the players. I watch the tennis for a while. I look around again; my eyes searching for the pretty lady. No sign of her. The rest of Mumbai will have to wait to get to know me. Until then, you guys have the privilege courtesy blogosphere.
My match is finally called. I look for my opponent. I see him. If he's the big fat guy from Maharashtra, I know what my nickname in the locker room is going to be; the bigger fatter guy from Maharashtra. We warm up; as usual, I try to size up my opponent's game. Good heavy forehand, hits it deep; Decent serve. One-handed topspin backhand which he tends to spray and shank. The backhand, I decide, will be my target. I win the toss (my third straight toss win) and I elect to serve as usual.
I don't start well. I'm soon down 0-2. I'm unable to keep the ball in play long enough to get to his backhand and Prashant's forehand seems to be working well. The third game is a marathon one. 4 breakpoints for him and 4 game-points for me later, we're still at deuce. The heat is oppressive and I'm sweating profusely. I begin to wonder if I would be able to complete the set. I finally hold serve on my fifth game point to get on the scoreboard. I'm relieved as I sit down on the changeover. I think about the game that just went by. My two drop shot winners; the one forehand down the line winner and the few serves I hit which were from the start of the doubles alley on the ad court wide out to his backhand.. really wide out.. won me at least 4 points in the game.
I start walking to the baseline which is next to the players waiting area to receive serve. I'm hoping the guys there aren't having a good laugh at my expense. The game goes by pretty quickly. Its 3-1 Prashant. I manage to hold serve to love as well ending it with an ace down the line. I'm sure they're not laughing now.
Change of ends; no change in luck. Prashant holds for 4-2 and breaks me again for 5-2. As I wait to receive his next serve, I decide to try something different. Stand a couple of feet inside the baseline on his second serve and chip-n-charge. The first time I try it, he hits his second serve into the net. Feeling the pressure eh, Mr. Sawant? Getting a wee-bit nervous?? The next point, a slice chip from me, a decent forehand from him, and an easy volley from me to end the point. I'm feeling like Edberg. I'm shouting Commmmoonnn like Hewitt. Could this be the winning strategy?? I attack his second serve for the rest of the game and finally break his serve for the first time. Its 3-5; only one break of serve I tell myself. The points are not as long now and I'm feeling better.
I might have been feeling like Edberg but I'm not serving anything like him. A double fault and some unforced errors give Prashant the break back. Change of ends at 6-3 (in qualifying here, its best of 15 games, so you need to reach 8 to win). I notice Awasthi is back on the adjacent court as I'm trying to strategise on the changeover. Keep chipping-n-charging I tell myself. Prashant gets a couple of first serves in this time. I hit one chip into the net and he passes me with a forehand on another. Its 7-3 and I'm one game away from losing. I tell myself to go all out with my serve now since it probably would be my last game. I walk up to the baseline to hit my first serve. And I go all out. ALL OUT indeed. The first serve is long by a good 10 feet. Its quickly triple match point against me. Keep going I tell myself, you never know. Maybe he'll fall over and roll his ankle on the next point. Or maybe he'll hit an exquisite drop shot that I don't even attempt to retrieve. 8-3. Game set match Prashant Sawant.
I walk up to the net for the customary handshake. He smiles at me and says well played. I wonder if he really means it. I wish him all the best for his matches ahead. Handshakes with the umpire over, I start packing away the rackets into my bag. The ball boy tells me well played. I say thanks. I walk out the court and head to the canteen to drink a cold beverage. I hail a cab to take me home (I'm too tired to do the rickshaw-train-cab routine again). I look back on my weekend while I get on to the sea link. I won two matches in the qualifying draw of a national level tournament and lost to the no. 113 player in the country. I'm wondering if I'm a better player than I think or if the competition at this level is not as tough as I thought. I'd like to think its a bit of both. I'm wondering what to do to keep improving my game. Maybe lose some weight. Maybe take some formal coaching. Maybe a bit of both. I'm thinking what the weeks ahead hold for me. Desk job at the bank. Evening tennis with brother and Siddharth. SURELY, lots of both. Back home, well-fed and showered, I sit down to write this blog but not before checking the AITA site for their next event in Mumbai. Nothing on schedule for the rest of 2010 but I'm hoping they have a couple more after the monsoons. My dream of winning four matches to qualify for an AITA event will have to wait. Until then, it's back to life!!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Parting Shots - Inaugural AATP Championships - October 20th 2008
The Dream: Playing the night session at Flushing Meadows against Agassi (the man I’ve looked up to all my tennis life) in front of a packed crowd on Arthur Ashe stadium where Steffi is Mrs. Haresh and not Mrs. Andre
Reality: Playing in the sultry afternoon at MSLTA in front of 8 spectators against the man I’ve HAD to look up to all my life (at 6 feet, he is nearly 2 inches taller to me, you see).
50 years from now when I still hope to be playing like our very own Mr. Shakti Parmar (old man, pony tail, court no. 5), I’m sure to look back on the weekend that just went by for more reasons than one. In Jon Wertheim tradition, here are my parting shots on the inaugural AATP Championship –
•If ever proof was needed that finding something you’re passionate about makes life more meaningful, this was it. The drive and energy of organizing our own tournament, the joy of participating and the camaraderie and bonding amongst all of us beats a desk-job at a bank hands down any day
•Any fears that the result of the all-sibling final would be orchestrated by Father Ramchandani were laid to rest as both brothers battled hard for a win. Family sources say that Father was rooting for his first-born to win
•The shot of the tournament was Bharat’s awesome backhand passing shot against Ayaz (which his opponent described as the best passing shot he’s ever seen from across the net); never mind that I didn’t see it but let’s put it down for the record books anyway
•Siddharth Singh Rathore’s controversial decision to forfeit his last round-robin match had everyone up in arms. Word has it that after closed-door cyber conversations with the organizers, he will be back for the next tournament after all
•The round robin encounter between Bharat and Jonty was probably the most intriguing early round match-up; not in the least for the much publicized bathroom break
•Ayaz’s fantastic comeback from 0-5 down to beat Jonty 7-5 clinched him a semi-final spot. Let’s keep the insinuations about ANKLEGATE aside for now, and appreciate the effort
•Props to Haresh for a commendable effort using a makeshift racket in his come back against Rizwan from 1-5 down to win 7-5; And no, we wont be taking a stand on the chick tennis vs. chick attitude sidestory either
•In a bizzare twist, Siddharth Sharma turned up on all 3 days of the tournament and warmed up Haresh for his semi and final but made no official comment as to why he did not participate. Agents Moulder and Scully have been drafted in to solve this X-File
•Jonty Kandpal’s gutsy play and terrific attitude. Nothing more to add but do read this link
•Very few people at this level would re-schedule their international travel, re-join work one day late; and also give up smoking in order to build stamina for this tournament. Rizwan Sumar will sorely be missed at the second edition.
•Even fewer people would give up a spot on Nach Baliye. Anil Goel deserves a special mention
•Word is spreading about the AATP pretty quick. Interested participants for the next edition include a famous South Mumbai fertility specialist and not-so-famous physical trainer of a very famous South Mumbai industrialist. Don’t be surprised if you read about the AATP in the Sunday Times in the coming weeks
•Our respectable Mr. Bhatt could do with more than a few tips from the pro-ams. When word got around that they were in the cafeteria till 11 pm on opening night, Bhatt sounded out Ashutosh for a personal chat in the bathroom. We’re not sure of what transpired inside but I think we might hear more about this in the future
•We’ve all seen how competition at its highest level can come between even the best of friends. Relieved to see all friendships survive the test this weekend, even though I had my doubts several times
•Tennis-crazy Mrs. Nalini Goel made it for the evening sessions but chose to stay away for the battle of her sons on Saturday morning. For the record Ashutosh beat Anil 6-1 and kept the flag of older brothers flying high for a while
•Word on the street is that a certain Ms. Bijal, often seen in the stands this weekend, is finally managing to push Ashutosh into the holy bond of matrimony. February is when I’ve been told will be the wedding. Ladbrokes is currently giving odds on where the honeymoon will be. MSLTA is the odds-on favorite
•Watch out for 9 month old Rohan Kandpal. Talent scouts are reportedly queuing up outside the Kandpal residence to sign him up. However, I have been informed that all his endorsements and media activities will be handled by the AATP itself
•The identity of the mysterious philanthropist who donated the cool bags for the two finalists has been revealed. His name is Mr. Jay Sharma (no relation to Siddharth), works for Pantaloon Retail and is a close friend of Haresh
•Special note of thanks to Ashutosh for spearheading this initiative. The event wouldn’t be complete without the trophies, certificates, the FREE Baskin Robbins vouchers and, of course, his fantastic sense of humor and spirit
•Missed in all the acknowledgements was some well-deserved appreciation for Mangesh & gang for all the paid Gatorade, Water and Sandwiches
•And on a final note, let’s thank those Brits for introducing this wonderful sport to the world. God Bless the Queen and all of us!! See u guys next time around!!
Reality: Playing in the sultry afternoon at MSLTA in front of 8 spectators against the man I’ve HAD to look up to all my life (at 6 feet, he is nearly 2 inches taller to me, you see).
50 years from now when I still hope to be playing like our very own Mr. Shakti Parmar (old man, pony tail, court no. 5), I’m sure to look back on the weekend that just went by for more reasons than one. In Jon Wertheim tradition, here are my parting shots on the inaugural AATP Championship –
•If ever proof was needed that finding something you’re passionate about makes life more meaningful, this was it. The drive and energy of organizing our own tournament, the joy of participating and the camaraderie and bonding amongst all of us beats a desk-job at a bank hands down any day
•Any fears that the result of the all-sibling final would be orchestrated by Father Ramchandani were laid to rest as both brothers battled hard for a win. Family sources say that Father was rooting for his first-born to win
•The shot of the tournament was Bharat’s awesome backhand passing shot against Ayaz (which his opponent described as the best passing shot he’s ever seen from across the net); never mind that I didn’t see it but let’s put it down for the record books anyway
•Siddharth Singh Rathore’s controversial decision to forfeit his last round-robin match had everyone up in arms. Word has it that after closed-door cyber conversations with the organizers, he will be back for the next tournament after all
•The round robin encounter between Bharat and Jonty was probably the most intriguing early round match-up; not in the least for the much publicized bathroom break
•Ayaz’s fantastic comeback from 0-5 down to beat Jonty 7-5 clinched him a semi-final spot. Let’s keep the insinuations about ANKLEGATE aside for now, and appreciate the effort
•Props to Haresh for a commendable effort using a makeshift racket in his come back against Rizwan from 1-5 down to win 7-5; And no, we wont be taking a stand on the chick tennis vs. chick attitude sidestory either
•In a bizzare twist, Siddharth Sharma turned up on all 3 days of the tournament and warmed up Haresh for his semi and final but made no official comment as to why he did not participate. Agents Moulder and Scully have been drafted in to solve this X-File
•Jonty Kandpal’s gutsy play and terrific attitude. Nothing more to add but do read this link
•Very few people at this level would re-schedule their international travel, re-join work one day late; and also give up smoking in order to build stamina for this tournament. Rizwan Sumar will sorely be missed at the second edition.
•Even fewer people would give up a spot on Nach Baliye. Anil Goel deserves a special mention
•Word is spreading about the AATP pretty quick. Interested participants for the next edition include a famous South Mumbai fertility specialist and not-so-famous physical trainer of a very famous South Mumbai industrialist. Don’t be surprised if you read about the AATP in the Sunday Times in the coming weeks
•Our respectable Mr. Bhatt could do with more than a few tips from the pro-ams. When word got around that they were in the cafeteria till 11 pm on opening night, Bhatt sounded out Ashutosh for a personal chat in the bathroom. We’re not sure of what transpired inside but I think we might hear more about this in the future
•We’ve all seen how competition at its highest level can come between even the best of friends. Relieved to see all friendships survive the test this weekend, even though I had my doubts several times
•Tennis-crazy Mrs. Nalini Goel made it for the evening sessions but chose to stay away for the battle of her sons on Saturday morning. For the record Ashutosh beat Anil 6-1 and kept the flag of older brothers flying high for a while
•Word on the street is that a certain Ms. Bijal, often seen in the stands this weekend, is finally managing to push Ashutosh into the holy bond of matrimony. February is when I’ve been told will be the wedding. Ladbrokes is currently giving odds on where the honeymoon will be. MSLTA is the odds-on favorite
•Watch out for 9 month old Rohan Kandpal. Talent scouts are reportedly queuing up outside the Kandpal residence to sign him up. However, I have been informed that all his endorsements and media activities will be handled by the AATP itself
•The identity of the mysterious philanthropist who donated the cool bags for the two finalists has been revealed. His name is Mr. Jay Sharma (no relation to Siddharth), works for Pantaloon Retail and is a close friend of Haresh
•Special note of thanks to Ashutosh for spearheading this initiative. The event wouldn’t be complete without the trophies, certificates, the FREE Baskin Robbins vouchers and, of course, his fantastic sense of humor and spirit
•Missed in all the acknowledgements was some well-deserved appreciation for Mangesh & gang for all the paid Gatorade, Water and Sandwiches
•And on a final note, let’s thank those Brits for introducing this wonderful sport to the world. God Bless the Queen and all of us!! See u guys next time around!!
No monty.. only Jonty!! - 18th October 2008
And then there were two!! Full-time brothers and part-time players Bharat and Haresh kept their unbeaten record intact defeating Rizwan and Ayaz respectively to advance to the finals of the inaugral AATP Championship at MSLTA, Mumbai. However, it was 33 year old Kailash Kandpal (a.k.a. Jonty) who turned out to be the true revelation of the opening rounds.
Kandpal, who recently graduated from the Table Tennis arena to the tennis lawn courts, came within one point of reaching the semi-finals earlier this afternoon with a display of gutsy tennis and proof that size DOES NOT matter - not on the tennis court atleast. After a convincing 6-2 win over Ashutosh in the opeing round of Group Agassi, Jonty faced-off against Bharat in a David vs Goliath battle. And he nearly pulled off what would have been a stunning upset, only losing 5-7 in a tight exciting contest that even piqued the interest of the players playing on the adjacent court.
Playing Ayaz with a semi-final berth on the line, Jonty raced to a 5-0 lead; only to see Ayaz come back and win 7 games on the trot, saving a match point en route and crashing Jonty's semi final dreams by the end of it.
When he's not rocking Dalal Street with his equity tips or playing Daddy cool with his 9 month old son Rohan, Jonty goes about beating his opponents with a game thats a throwback to an earlier time in tennis. Nimble-footed and big-hearted, Jonty's game is based on a simple plan - get EVERYTHING back. And get back everything he does!! Just ask Bharat!! Jonty's Dementieva-like serve, energizer bunny-like speed and Chang-like ability to retrieve had Bharat scrambling all around the court and STRAIGHT to the bathroom at one stage.
Built on a small-frame that helps him glide around the court like a butterfly, Jonty's game and attitude won him several fans this week, this writer included. Rest assued, come next tournament, he'll have one more person rooting for him from the stands. UNLESS he happens to be playing someone that goes by the name of Ramchandani :)
Kandpal, who recently graduated from the Table Tennis arena to the tennis lawn courts, came within one point of reaching the semi-finals earlier this afternoon with a display of gutsy tennis and proof that size DOES NOT matter - not on the tennis court atleast. After a convincing 6-2 win over Ashutosh in the opeing round of Group Agassi, Jonty faced-off against Bharat in a David vs Goliath battle. And he nearly pulled off what would have been a stunning upset, only losing 5-7 in a tight exciting contest that even piqued the interest of the players playing on the adjacent court.
Playing Ayaz with a semi-final berth on the line, Jonty raced to a 5-0 lead; only to see Ayaz come back and win 7 games on the trot, saving a match point en route and crashing Jonty's semi final dreams by the end of it.
When he's not rocking Dalal Street with his equity tips or playing Daddy cool with his 9 month old son Rohan, Jonty goes about beating his opponents with a game thats a throwback to an earlier time in tennis. Nimble-footed and big-hearted, Jonty's game is based on a simple plan - get EVERYTHING back. And get back everything he does!! Just ask Bharat!! Jonty's Dementieva-like serve, energizer bunny-like speed and Chang-like ability to retrieve had Bharat scrambling all around the court and STRAIGHT to the bathroom at one stage.
Built on a small-frame that helps him glide around the court like a butterfly, Jonty's game and attitude won him several fans this week, this writer included. Rest assued, come next tournament, he'll have one more person rooting for him from the stands. UNLESS he happens to be playing someone that goes by the name of Ramchandani :)
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