Bangalore has been home to a few good tennis players. Also, in Bangalore it is quite common to see a number of tennis courts that are part of academies, international schools, clubs and apartments.
As I do a research of tennis infrastructure in Bangalore, the top two tennis academies that come to my mind are Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy (RBTA) and Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy (MBTA).
Let us have a look at them:
Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy (RBTA):
Established: Feb, 2016.
Location: Yelahanka.
Category : 4 to 15 years.
Look and feel : Amidst the greenery and untouched part of Yelahanka the academy looks serene. My best experience was during early mornings of December where parents also got involved in their morning walks around the vacant space of the academy.
Type of court : 5 clay courts plus one kid clay court.
Coaches : An average of 7-8 coaches with Aravind G as the head coach and 2 fitness coaches.
USP : Two mentor coaches and Rohan Bopanna`s personal guidance.
- Piet Norval from South Africa who was an Olympic silver medalist
- Dragan Bukumirovic from Serbia with good experience
Recent Achievements: Its student, Vidula Amar is one of Karnataka`s top under 16 players.
Future Goals: To have a residential program with foreign tie ups.
Tennis Village (Bhupathi Tennis Academy):
Established: Sept, 1995.
Location: Kodigehalli.
Category: Kids grassroot programme to adults.
Look and feel: For a moment, I was waiting outside the academy trying to figure out if I was in the right place. From the outside it gives the look of a small college as it houses the 3 courts inside apart from the residential accommodation.
Three other courts along with a covered seating arrangements for parents are on the opposite side of the campus.
Types of courts: 6 synthetic courts.
Coaches: An average of 5-6 coaches with S.Praveen Kumar as the head coach.
USP: Infrastructure is the key
- Good residential program with dormitories and bunk beds for children.
- Flood lit courts
Setback: When Apollo Mission 2018 program came to a halt a lot of aspiring tennis players missed out on it. Mahesh Bhupathi was leading the program.
Key Achievement: MBTA`s gift of upcoming tennis star, Sumit Nagal to Indian tennis.
Future Plans: To make use of the residential program more which is currently under utilized.
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