Tennis for children – I caught up with players, coaches and trainers

“I think around 5-6 years is the right time for a kid to play tennis”, Kedar Shah, Owner of Bounce Sports Academy

“I think around 7 years is a good age to start playing tennis. First kids should play all types of sports and develop physical coordination along with tennis”, S. Praveen Kumar, ‎Director-Tennis Coaching at Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy, Bangalore.

Hits and misses of 4-year-old Kairavi at Yanniv Sporting, Bangalore.

“I think 5-6 years is a good age to start. At this age a kid understands things and can take small instructions given by the coach”, Mariano Delfino, former coach of India`s current No.3 Men`s singles player Sumit Nagal.

“I started at 6 years but I do not know what should be the right age. Still I think 6 should be the right one”,  Zeel Desai, India`s professional player and rising star.

“I started playing at the age of 5. Initially more emphasis should be given to the enjoyment aspect of the kid. A kid should be able to enjoy the game first and rest can be seen later, Ankita Raina, India`s No.1 Women`s singles player. 

“I think earlier the better. If one sees good potential in a kid then I guess it is good to continue with it. For example, I know Rohan Bopanna who started playing tennis at the age of 9 years and Saketh Sai Myneni who started playing at the age of 11 years wished that they started playing a bit earlier, Yash Pandey, Co-founder of Peak Performance and former physio of the Indian Davis Cup team.

“I think 6 years is the right age. So that the kid can learn basics and other stuffs for 2-3 years and start playing  tournaments at the age of 9-10 years”, Pranjala Yadlapalli, India`s No.3 Women`s singles player.

Author`s take – 5-6 years is the right age to start playing tennis. More focus should be given to see that the kid is enjoying the game. Also parents should see that the tennis academy has the required criteria like mini courts, red & orange balls.