How the road to Wimbledon has already started and offers tennis’ very own winning lottery ticket

Roger Federer and Serena Williams remain a world away, but for the next crop of tennis hopefuls in Kolkata the journey to SW19 has already begun

Some of the Road to Wimbledon competitors (SB Veda)

There are several reasons why Wimbledon is regarded as one of the most prestigious sports tournaments in the world. From the verdant lawns to the creeper-clad walls of Centre Court, from its famous traditions to the sheer exclusivity of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, The Championships are seen as the pinnacle of a very particular type of Britishness.

So it may come as a surprise to learn that last week, some 5000-miles away from that leafy corner of southwest London, sixteen Indian girls picked up their racquets at the Calcutta South Club in an attempt to win a chance to play on those famous lawns. It’s hardly the button-down image that comes to mind of SW19, but the world is changing.

What began as a UK-based tournament for juniors aged eleven to fourteen in 2002, has evolved into an extensive global outreach by The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club called Road to Wimbledon (RTW), which spans thousands of kilometres, crossing multiple borders.

Wimbledon is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world (Getty)

Through RTW, a handful of players from Asia as well as regional UK juniors will get the opportunity to bond over their common love of tennis, irrespective of nationality, and share in the chance to play in the UK 14 and Under Nationals to be held at Wimbledon in August. This will include two girls and two boys from India. RTW came to India in 2014, expanding to four Chinese cities three short years later. Tournament director Paul Hutchens envisions growing the competition further as 2018 marks the entry of Japan to the fold. Activities will include participation of 8,500 juniors in various events including coaching, worldwide.

Last week Dan Bloxham, Head Coach of the All England Club and Lucie Ahl, former British No. 1 arrived in Kolkata to coach India’s top 16 girls at the qualifying tournament called the RTW Masters. They’ll be joined by Rolex Tennis Ambassador, Vijay Amritraj at the Gymkhana Club in New Delhi, for the boys’ event.

The highlight of the outreach though is the ‘Magic Bus,’ funded by the Wimbledon Foundation, which picks-up kids from marginalized communities and uses tennis to teach the importance of education, hygiene, nutrition and gender equality. Trained volunteer “Community Youth Leaders” work with the community to reinforce lessons delivered at these sessions.

During the 2015 pilot, Magic Bus worked with 1,600 children in the Delhi area. Since then, the program has grown dramatically.


 The girls warming up for the tournament (AELTC)
 (Getty)

“It’s nice to be able to combine a high-end tournament like the RTW Masters and coaching with outreach activities like Magic Bus to do good in different ways,” says Bloxham. The Calcutta South Club followed suit, opening-up their gates to local kids – an event facilitated by Bengal Tennis Association (BTA).

The emphasis of coaching at RTW is on the grass court game. “A lot was about giving the kids an introduction to grass and the contrasts between surfaces,” says Ahl. “And, trying to get the girls to keep the ball low and use the slice more as well as positioning themselves close to the ground.”

Indeed, with so few grass courts left in India, the next time the winner and runner-up are likely to play on the surface will be at Wimbledon. So, competing and getting coached by Britain’s best is seen as a once in a lifetime chance by players and their families.

Selected to hold the Masters, the Calcutta South Club, long known as the ‘Wimbledon of the East’ for having the first lawn tennis courts in India and hosting the most Davis Cup ties in the nation’s history, is also a key teaching venue of the BTA. In the past, tennis greats, Jean Borotra, Bill Tilden, Roy Emerson and others graced the lawns. Indian stars, Jaideep Mukerjee, Zeeshan Ali and Leander Paes were coached there. And the club still has some of the finest grass courts in Asia.

With Slazenger balls skidding through the trimmed greens, big shots were made even bigger – none more than that of finalists, top seed Sanjana Sirimalla and No. 3, Renee Singla, both of whom earned their spots at Wimbledon by advancing to the final round.

In a gritty battle worthy of the historic grounds, the final ultimately fell with form, Sirimalla vanquishing her opponent in two tight sets, winning, 7-6(7-4), 6-4.


 Holding her prize, Sanjana Tirumalla (AELTC)
 (Getty)

The champion’s doggedness is echoed by father, Ajay who accompanied her from hometown, Hyderabad to Kolkata for the event. “It is very difficult to make a professional tennis player,” says Mr. Tirumala. “Tennis is the costliest game, I feel, and all money is coming from our family. But I sold my house, so now we have no problem.”

It is telling that Sanjana’s father views parting with the family home in favour of cheap rental accommodations in a slum-like area as a solution rather than an additional problem. And while his daughter laments that corporate sponsorship has not been forthcoming despite her top ranking, Sirimalla Senior remains undeterred. “It doesn’t matter,” he says. “Whether she gets sponsors or not, she will continue and become an international tennis player. I have that confidence.”

Public funding of tennis is scant in India compared to that of Europe and the Americas where public courts are widely available and basic lessons can be had at little or no cost. In addition to sponsorship, the US college system offers scholarships to budding players. Not so in India where the brunt of the financial obligation must be borne by the families of players.

A place at the UK 14 and Under Nationals is at stake (AELTC) (Getty)

Many local enthusiasts regret that nearly two decades after champions Venus and Serena Williams came up through the public parks system in the USA, in India tennis is still a sport for the affluent.

By now, most competing girls have given up going to school. Indeed, Sirimalla studies at home, sporadically, her day being dominated by training of one sort or another.

“From five to seven in the morning, I do fitness,” says Tirumala, interrupted by her father who says she has a separate fitness coach. “At 7:30 I have my breakfast and by 8 I’m back at the tennis court where I practise for two hours. Then I do yoga. In the afternoon, I’ll sleep and again from 4 to 6:30, I’ll practise. Then I go to swimming, eat and am in bed by eight-thirty. That’s my day.”

Averaging eighteen tournaments a year since age eleven, Sirimalla’s commitment to her sport is extraordinary. Her father asks her to tell me when she had her last ice-cream. “Two and a half years ago,” she replies.

One can only hope that strawberries and cream at the evermore international All England Club will make up for the sacrifice.