Photo courtesy: Badmintonphoto.com
Vol. 2. No. 7
For Private Circulation Only
June - July 2010
Indian Warrior World #2
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GUTS - A Window into World Badminton
June - July 2010
Does courtside coaching hamper individual development? With coaches permitted to sit courtside and offer advice to players, we have to be aware of a disturbing phenomenon in the junior ranks. Players now seem to have lost their individual ability to read the game and adjust accordingly, and instead seem to depend excessively on their coaches. Courtside coaching might be useful to senior players, but does it lead
to a stunting of the ability of juniors? It’s doubtful how far a player can go if he’s not allowed to make his own decisions on court while in his junior career. During two recent junior tournaments, we saw players constantly looking to their parents/ coaches for advice – sometimes after every point. Junior players especially tend to play below potential when they
guidance when they need most.
I have all along been opposed to courtside coaching. In the last 4years, in my opinion it has taken such a turn that it is having a very negative image for the game. Top players of the world appear stupid, as they keep looking at their coach for help during the middle of the match. Even LIN DAN and LEE CHONG WEI act this way and that is a poor reflection on the game and their mental strength. What they don’t realise is that they are not applying themselves and must face the situation and that reflects their real calibre. The example I can give is the typical examination situation. When you get the question paper in hand, you have to come out with the answers. There is nobody around to help. No excuses are entertained, if you don’t remember the answers you lose a year. You need to cope with the pressure and write. My view is that there should not be any coaching from the side during the course of the match. What everyone need to understand here is important aspects like coping with pressure when things go wrong is tested, if you have a good temperament, you can cope with most of the tough situations. This is a very crucial aspect and getting advice from outside at that time does not really reflect your ability.
are closely observed by their parents or coaches. While the game’s regulations allow for this practice, we need to ask if this will lead to juniors falling short of realising their potential. Courtside coaching is disallowed in tennis and many other sports, and perhaps badminton should follow that example in the junior circuit at least.
Out side India coaches will get information of the opponent from the expert video analyzers, so coaches job is much easier than Indian coaches.
discuss and provide the necessary advice as required. If the child has the calibre, he/ she will absorb the advice accordingly and implement it when the situation warrants next time. The players must learn to accept responsibility both in their wins and losses. It is their ability and efforts 80% and contribution from coaches, support staff and association make up the other 20%. Please bring back more dignity to the game like in TENNIS. Vimal Kumar, Former National Coach
Tennis in my opinion follows the correct system. The coach and support staff are no where near and players have to deal with the situation on their own. They are not even allowed to make eye contact. This ensures that the player is tuned to concentrate and they find ways to tackle the situation.
I am of the opinion that, we bring our children like a broiler chicken. Untimely feeding will spoil the children. We are not providing the ownership to our children to take the decision. His/her decision could be wrong. If it’s wrong, he/she will correct the mistake and will never repeat the mistake. They might tend to do more mistakes and correction of those mistakes will season and sharpen the skills of any individual. If, we act as a thought leader (not manager), any child can play to their potential of their own.
In badminton, most of the time, this has become a nuisance and distraction for the players especially in the junior events. The coaches and parents must realise the importance of age category events. When the players are young and when they compete in under 10 and under 13 category, nobody should distract them when the matches are on. This way the child will learn to cope with pressure and in their own way develop the ability to deal with the situation. After the match the coach and parent can
Interval coaching is introduced by BWF for making more commercial advertising while the game is telecasted live. Worlds most popular and mega event football allows side line coaching then why not In badminton? Technically - The game has become more competitive and coaches role has become more important because of the availability of quality coaches. Players ask the coaches to sit with them to give him necessary
Roxily Abraham, Badminton player
Today’s children are more pampered and they were like mentally pre-programmed they need advice for each and everything so coaches role has become more important now a days.. According to me, side line coaching is important for juniors and seniors because there is not much standard difference between seniors and junior players. But, for too small children side line coaching will not make any difference because they are not capable to play according to the advice of the coaches. M. J. Mohanachandran, Chief Coach RSC. It has become a fashion to have a personal coach with you when you are playing matches, The player will not have confidence in taking decisions during matches and always expect their so called coaches to direct you in making strokes. Now a days every Tom Dick and harry is a coach. I pity the poor parents who are spending through their nose for their badminton playing ward. You should allow the children to take decisions during crucial time. If they can’t do, it would be better to give a psychological push with the help of professionals.. John Of Matha, Former National Player I am of the opinion that Courtside Coaching will definitely help a player to plan and readjust his game as per the coach’s directives. The mistake committed, or the strategy to be adopted being fresh in his mind, will definitely get cemented and will help him on future occasions. When he/she is a junior player we need to understand that he/she is in the “Moulding Phase” of his/her career and it is at this stage that proper diagnosis and midcourse and end course corrections need to be made so that he shapes into Professional. Suresh Nair- Badminton player
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June - July 2010
Here the issue is what kind of feedback is going to be helpful. Juniors need positive feedback during the competition, like strong and weak points of opponent, Selection of strokes, when to play slow game & fast game etc. Some training cannot be given in practice time, that can only trained at competition time. In the training we can't bring the pressure what the player gets in competition time. Especially for Juniors, feedback reduces the match fear, helps to over come anxiety, arousal, and stress. It also motivates the players to give better performance. Positive feedback makes the player psychologically strong.
happening. Over dependency on the coach is happening these days and as far as I am concerned, a coach however able he is will not be able to convey much in the very little time given. Of course coaches should be along side the court to see the match and educate the player later which is where the true role of the coach is needed. Aravind Bhat, International Player Courtside coaching adds extra pressure on player by reacting to mistakes during the matches, makes the players unable to think
Melvin Minoy, Grade I Umpire
Badminton game is 10 % of what happens and 90% on how you react to it. Attitude is everything. However continues coaching disturbs the player. Here and there coach can help with one word or two. Coach can analyze the game earlier and give inputs at break.
Coutside coaching does not permit productivity, It also limits the creativity of the players, It brings an end to the player exploring and experimenting capabilities, over all for sub juniors and juniors its a real disadvantage. Shiva Prakash, Coach, White Peacock
Ultimately the coach should believe in the player and the player should believe in the coach.
of the situation. It’s very important for a young player to think and plan his strategy on and off the court because its a mind game at the end. Courtside coaching can give only temporary achievement but, on long run it will block the thinking ability of young players during the matches.
I am of the view that courtside coaching should not be allowed when the match is in progress. The players lose their ability to read the game and use their individual instincts and judgement. In any case, there is break after 11 points -maybe the coach can be permitted to talk to the player. Suresh S – Veteran Champion
Sai Praneeth read GUTS. Do you?
BQ Check your Badminton Quotient
Krishna Kumar, Badminton Coach
Sudhakar B.N, Badminton Coach Courtside coaching should not be allowed like how it is now. It can be done for say...2 min at one go, only one time in the whole match. and definitely allowing coaches to coach in between points should be stopped. The player in the atmosphere he is in cannot grasp so much information and he is constantly having clashes in the thought flow. If allowed like these days, the ability of the player to judge the opponent and do what he feels right at that moment is not
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Anyhow, it is high time to evaluate whether it is beneficial or not. Formerly coaches can give coaching only during the intervals
Which player did Ajay Jayaram lose to in the semis of the Malaysian GP Gold recently?
Here, the good intention behind the reform is not working. All coaches irrespective of their grade, quality, fame are trying to interfere the progress of the game beyond the law allows. Now we are experiencing the coaches crossing over the code of conduct and trying to be more smart especially in front of the parents. On the other side, small kids playing under this circumstances not in a position to materialise chances, which come their way during the rally. Control this to giving tips only in intervals
L ANA I PRO - S H O P
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Maldives Open Winners: Pranav Chopra, Ram C Vijay, J Deepak, Lalita Katre
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GUTS - A Window into World Badminton
June - July 2010
Memories of March 1980 Saina Nehwal’s defence of her Indonesia Open title gave her a hat-trick of wins after her India Open and Singapore Open title wins, and is reminiscent of Prakash Padukone’s ‘Grand Slam’ in 1980. Three Sundays, three titles. Saina Nehwal turned June 2010 into a historic month for Indian badminton with three titles in three successive weeks to rekindle memories of February-March 1980. Prakash Padukone had then won the Swedish, Danish and All England titles to become world No.1. After her India Open GP Gold and Singapore Open Super Series titles over the last two weeks, the hat-trick was achieved with a 21-19 13-21 21-11 victory over Japan’s Sayaka Sato in the Indonesia Open Super Series final. After a smooth first game, when the top seeded Indian looked on course, Sato turned it around brilliantly with a mix of tricky clips and half-smashes that left Saina conserving her energies for the third game. Sato’s challenge evaporated in the closing stages, however, and the Indian again brought her power to bear, as she successfully defended her title. The summit that Padukone scaled is now within sight of Saina as well. Not that she cares too much about rankings. “I want to be 100 per cent at every tournament,” she said. “I’m not concerned about rankings. If I win, my ranking will improve. My focus is on improving my game and fitness. If that
happens, everything else follows.” As it happens, that strategy has brought her to a career-best No.2; the top slot isn’t far away. There are no comparisons to evoke among India’s women badminton players, of course. Saina had already gone beyond that, with her first Super Series title last year. The world has few challengers to Chinese domination of the women’s singles. Like Padukone in his time, Saina is expected to lead the resistance. “If you look at the results over the last few months, there aren’t many with her record,” says Gopichand. “She’s been very consistent, and getting better all the time. It’s simple – just use your brains while training, don’t complicate things too much. I don’t use computer software or anything to analyse. Just simple brains.” A hat-trick of major titles is rare among the non-Chinese. Among the men, Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei has managed to string together big titles – when his feared opponent Lin Dan is not around. Chong Wei has always had to live with the shroud of Lin Dan in the background – a sort of modernday Vikram carrying his own betal; with Saina, no such questions are asked because
her Singapore Open Super Series title last week was achieved in the face of the stiffest opposition. It was the Singapore Open, more than any other, that reinforced her stature – it was just her second Super Series title, and her first win over a Chinese in a year. But even during the spell of losses to the Chinese, Saina never lost her faith. “I’m not scared of anybody,” she would say. “It’s about fitness. If I’m fit, I’ll win.” When Padukone talks of Saina, there is acknowledgement of a particular ability that no words can describe, and which he finds in no other current Indian player. It’s what might be called the recognition of winnability – the ability to nail a match despite all the odds – of fatigue, court conditions, crowd behaviour, pressure, and one’s own expectations. To go beyond the satisfaction of having won two titles in two weeks, and plead fatigue in a third successive final, is a rare quality that the two share, across many generations. There are of course more summits to conquer – the Asian Games, the World Championships, and the Olympics. Saina is only 20. There is plenty of time yet.
Saina: ‘You just keep fighting’ The enormity of her achievement sinking in, the world No.2 talks of her one asset that has eluded most Indian sportspeople It’s an ability that few Indian sportspeople, over the decades, were reckoned to have. Call it what you will – ‘killer instinct’, ‘selfbelief’, ‘never-say-die attitude’ – it all comes down to this: the ability to return from a match as victor. Saina Nehwal has that ability, although even she struggles to define it. She has always been known to have that steely resolve even as a junior, but surely cultivating it has not been easy? “Of course it (mental ability) changes,” she said, on phone from Jakarta. “You get the idea over time, and with experience. I’ve always been tough mentally, but it changes, you know. You just keep fighting. At the Singapore Open I was 4-16 down, but you
should never give up. Even if you can’t win the game, you have to fight, so that you make it 12 or 16, and you try to get eight or ten points more. And that’s important. This time I was physically very tired, I was quite slow in the first game itself. But mentally I just stayed on in the game.” Where does this desire to win come from? “It’s natural,” she replies. “Especially when you’ve won two straight tournaments, you’re very confident. I know that I will have a lot of wins and losses coming up, and I’m prepared for that. The Singapore Open was very tough. I never wanted to give up. Of course after every match we did the right things – I relaxed well, had a good massage
– and that helped too. I’m really happy I could give 100 per cent in every match.” These are qualities that the badmintonloving public of Indonesia has come to adore. They recognise a champion when they see one, and just as they were besotted by Padukone in his prime, they are enamoured of her. “They’ve adopted me,” she says, with a laugh. “When I went to the tournament, the public kept saying they wanted me to win. They like me a lot. It feels like I’m playing at home. It’s like being in a cricket match in India. In India the crowd can get crazy, but in Indonesia it’s even crazier.”
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Sai Praneeth, Jr. World Bronze Medalist
Praneeth, Ruthvika shine The fourth and fifth All India junior ranking tournaments of the year were held in Bangalore and Cochin respectively. In between the third and fourth we had stunning performance by our junior shuttlers in the world junior championships in Mexico. Sai Praneeth and HS Prannoy did us proud by winning Bronze Medals in boys' singles and PV Sindhu finished fifth in the girls' singles. Sai Praneeth beat the would be world junior champion Viktor Axelson in the team championship but, lost to him in the semis of the individual event. The Bangalore tournament saw Sai Praneeth win the boys' singles quite comfortably. His speed and approach to the net are the best among juniors and will be a cause of worry to the seniors this season itself. Praneeth easily subdued Sameer Verma of MP in the finals in Bangalore. In the Cochin edition, Pratul Joshi won his first junior singles title beating Sameer Verma in three sets. Praneeth & Pranav Chopra did not have it so easy in the doubles. They were taken to three games by the third seeds Hema Nagendra Babu/Srikanth. K. (AP) in the semis. However, they had it comparatively easy against sub juniors Arun George/ Santhosh Ravuri in the finals. Hema
Nagendra/Srikanth won the Cochin edition quite easily and they obviously are the second best pair among juniors now. The second seeded Daya Elsa Jacob (KER) won her maiden junior girls' title in Bangalore where she beat Tanvi Lad (MAH) in the finals. In the Cochin edition, Sanyogita struck a purple patch and beat Daya in three close games in the quarters, Gauri Ghate (MAH) in the semis and Sailee Rane in the finals in straight games to win the title. Prajakta Sawant won the junior girls' doubles in the company of Maneesha in Bangalore where they beat Ruthvika and Poorvisha in the finals. These two players, while still in the under-16, were finalists in junior girls' doubles in Nellore as well. In Cochin, Sailee and Sanyogita combined well to upset Prajakta / Maneesha in the semis and beat Daya / Gauri in the finals in three games. Sub juniors Arun George/Santhosh Ravuri won the under-16 boys' doubles event in the first four tournaments and finished runner up in the Cochin edition to Chaitanya K.P/ Chaitanya Reddy (AP). They also reached the finals of the junior doubles in Bangalore. They are surely a pair worth watching and nurturing. In the sub junior boys' doubles, Harsheel Dani (MAH)/Aditya Joshi (MP) and Laa Talar (ANP)/Sai Tanuj (AP) are
close on the heels of the top two pairs. In sub junior boys' singles, Arun George beat Arshalan Naqvi in the finals of the Bangalore event and Shreyansh Jaiswal beat Aditya Joshi in the finals in Cochin. Aditya upset Arun in the semis in Cochin in three games. Ruthvika won the Bangalore edition whereas Rituparna won the Cochin event. In both places, Maneesha (AP)was the runner up. In the sub junior girls' doubles, Maneesha/Meghana won the Bangalore edition beating Ruthvika & Poorvisha and the reverse was the result in Cochin. In the Mini (under-13) Chirag and Harika won the singles titles in both Bangalore and Cochin and they won the doubles titles as well, in the company of Rahul and Kuhoo Garg (UTR) respectively. The mixed doubles event was held in Cochin only and Ruthvika played a stellar role as she combined with B. Venkatesh (AP) to win the title upsetting the top seeded Sunjith/Linimol of Kerala in the finals. Considering the fact that mixed doubles is one of the five events in mulievent competitions like Sudirman Cup and Bimantara Cups, it should be included in all junior competitions in the country. - T.R. Balachandran
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GUTS - A Window into World Badminton
June - July 2010
Alamsyah defeats the best of India Saina Nehwal's amazing run of three successive titles started with the India Open GP Gold win; doubles stars share limelight The Yonex- Sunrise India Open Grand Prix Badminton Tournament 2010 held at the SDAT Indoor Stadium, Chennai from 8th to 13th June 2010 had a depleted field due to its timing which was a few days before the Li Ning Singapore Super Series Championships. With most of the top stars staying away, Chetan Anand, Saina Nehwal and the Diju-Jwala combine were the top seeds in the event. Thus, it was hoped that Indian players could garner valuable experience and international ranking points by playing in Chennai. The spruced up SDAT stadium had the disadvantages of having very colourful chairs as background and a powerful draft when the AC was switched on. The issue of colour chairs have been raised by players and coaches several times during the last decade. Being a multi-purpose stadium which plays host to many sports most of which are not affected by the colour background, this issue has never been taken earnestly by the organizers. It is unfortunate that such a delicate and skill oriented game like badminton is receiving step-motherly treatment by organizers all over the world. Artistic badminton as visualized by badminton aficionados can be played in limited stadia in the world. These are compact halls in Europe without air-conditioning and scientific
wore him down patiently, taking the first game at 21-18 at 15-16, in the second, Hashim conceded, handing his younger opponent a win to remember.
Yunus Alamsyah positioning of fans etc. A vast majority of the halls make the players play a onedimensional game replete with low service and downward shots, robbing the game of its famed beauty and grace. Guru met former All England Champion Hafiz Hashim in the quarters of the men’s
INDIAN OPEN singles. Guru despite his small build and medium height has been making progress in the senior international circuit during the last two years, his best performance till date being a quarter final finish at the Danish Open Super Series last year. Guru plays a very patient game mixing his tosses and drops and makes use of every opportunity to play at the net. He is also not averse to using his jump smash at opportune moments. Arvind Bhat complimented his focus thus. “Guru starts off with such intense focus which we bring to effect when it is 15-15. By the time you realize, he is at your throat and it is very difficult to wriggle free.” Hashim was a bit sluggish on that day and Guru
Saina Nehwal
Arvind played another slightly built Indonesian Younus Alamsyah in the quarters. Alamsyah is a player who relishes long rallies at good pace and has a decent net game to boot. Arvind normally relies on his reach, jump and big smashes to win points. Against Alamsyah he found many of his smashes coming back. He did not have the speed to finish them off at the net especially towards the end of both the games. This was a problem many Indian players faced against former National Champion Abhinnsyam Gupta. Only Gopichand would move up quickly and attack Abhinn on his body with taps and brushes. Against others Abhinn would recover his balance and defend smartly. Alamsyah was too crafty not to let this chance go and he won in two straight games, coming from way behind in the second. Chetan had to dig deep in his quarter final against Seang Tan Chun of Malaysia. Chetan had to struggle against Saurabh Verma in the previous round as well. He found himself a game down and several points behind in the second against Sauarabh before wriggling free in a “54min” encounter. Seang also had his cup full against Ajay Jayaram in the pre quarters where he won probably the longest singles match of the tournament 16-21, 21-16, and 21-18. Chetan was coming off a knee injury and looked a little rusty. However, his incredible racquet skills and deception helped him come through in three sets against the Malaysian. The last quarter pitted Anand Pawar against Kashyap. These two compact dynamos have been going hammer and tongs against each other right from their under-13 days. Anand currently spends time under Danish legend Morten Frost in Denmark and has developed himself into a seasoned international player. Kashyap is probably the most attacking Indian player now and is running several top ranked players like Taufiq Hidayat close. The first two games were one sided affairs and
June - July 2010
somehow in the third, Anand seemed to have lost the will to fight and succumbed 21-12, 9-21, and 12-21. Saina and Sayali ran into each other in the quarters and like in a dozen matches stretching right back to their sub junior days, Saina pulverized Sayali. Saina plays the relentless returning game much better than anyone else in India nay, the world and Sayali was a victim on that day. The semis saw Chetan playing Alamsyah. Here also, Chetan proved that he is only one or two of the players in India who can move to the net quickly after a hit. He punctured holes in Alamsyah’s defence and confused him with his wide variety of cross court drops and smashes. Even though he was down for most of the first game, he
Diju/Jwala came up with a burst towards the end and won the game comfortably at 21-16. In the second, Alamsyah demonstrated great commitment and athleticism and returned almost everything Chetan threw at him to win 21-12. In the third, Chetan looked a wee bit slow and he resorted to smashing unnecessarily. By then Alamsyah was in command and he forced Chetan to commit a flurry of errors to win the game and match 16-21, 21-12, 21-13 in 51 minutes. Kashyap and Guru have been practice partners for quite sometime and they know each other’s games inside out. Kashyap’s all out attacking style and Guru’s patient game are in sharp contrast. Kashyap took time to settle down and Guru’s defense was impressive, forcing Kashyap to go for the lines every time for a point. He also played delicate drops like Indian players of old to win points against the fast moving Kashyap, underlying the emphasis that should be placed on accuracy by players and coaches alike. Kashyap showed tremendous
determination even after committing silly errors and this must surely on account of the rich experience gained in the international circuit. Guru was better in shot selection and retrieving ability and it won him the “57min” match 21-6, 17-21, 21-15. In the women’s singles, Fanetri Linda Weni (Ina) secured two impressive wins, over third seed Aditi Mutatkar and Simone Prutsch (Austria), both in three pulsating games. She took the fight to second seeded Wong Mew Choo (MAL) in the semis before succumbing 20-22, 17-21. In the other semis, Saina swept aside Aprillia Yuswandari in straight games. Rupesh/Sanave, our best men’s doubles pair to date, has off late been showing signs of wear and tear and their performances in the super series events against the cream of men’s doubles have not been too impressive. They proved that they still have it in them to take out tough matches when they edged out young Indonesians Yuris Wirawan Afiat/Rendy Sugiarto in three tough games, saving three match points. In the finals, the top seeded Malaysians Abdul Latif Mohammed and Tazari Mohammed with whom they have had constant battles, were too fast and consistent. The first game was over in a flash and a late surge in the second was not enough to push the match into a third game. The score line read 21-12, 22-20. The new pairing of Jwala/Ashwini Ponnappa has been quietly making their presence felt in the International Women’s circuit. They have been pushing several top teams to three sets and as a team seem to have settled down. Jwala, with her reach and anticipation makes it very difficult for opponents from the net and Ashwini does a lot of hard work, running around and hitting blinders from the back. They have the makings of turning into the best Indian women’s pair to date. They beat two Indonesian pairs on their way to the finals and lost to the top seeds Yae Lei/Mulia Sari Shinta of Singapore in three well fought games. The very next week, the Singapore pair created waves winning the Singapore open super series and beating Jwala/ Ashwini on their way to the finals. Jwala/ Ashwini also did well to beat the world 5th ranked Japanese pair of Maeda Miyuki/ Satoko Saetsuna there. In the mixed doubles, Diju/Jwala were expected to win quite comfortably, in the absence of other top pairs. Jwala/ Diju were taken to three games on two occasions, one of them in the finals. Diju was ailing due to some minor health problems and it would have prevented
the pair from giving their best. Jwala looked much fitter than before and provided deft touches at the right times for Diju to capitalize. A lot rests on this pair if we have to secure a top-two finish in the Commonwealth Games 2010 team Championship. The men’s final was between two patient, slightly built me Guru and Alamsyah. Guru looks very comfortable when confronted by a fast moving, hard hitting player. Alamsyah was different, quick, agile, patient and supremely fit. Such a combination proved a bit too much for young Guru and he lost in two straight games 13-21, 18-21. It was a remarkable week for 23 year old Alamsyah who beat almost every top Indian player on his way to the title viz. Vidyadhar, Anup, Arvind, Chetan and Gurusai Dutt. Saina was pushed to three games by Wong Mew Choo in the finals. After losing the first game 20-22, Saina tightened her game and cantered home 21-14, 21-12. The remarkable ability of a champion is her ability to win on days when she is not playing her best. This rare trait was amply demonstrated by Saina who used Indian Open as a platform to launch her victorious assault on the Singapore & Indonesian super series titles. - T.R. Balachandran Rupesh /Sanave
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GUTS - A Window into World Badminton
June - July 2010
Junior draws getting out of hand The fortnight starting 25th June 2010 saw two of the biggest tournaments ever held in India. The first one was the 9th UBI All India Junior Ranking Tournament in Bangalore and the second the 10th United India Insurance - RSC All India Junior Ranking Tournament in Cochin. With three days earmarked for qualifying rounds and 10 and 13 courts respectively, both these tournaments were run smoothly. Matches got over by midnight on the second day in Bangalore and at 10.15 pm on the second day in Cochin. While this is a great achievement for the organisers, it is also food for thought for badminton administrators to decide about the wisdom of conducting such mega badminton events. Both tournaments had about 1000 players participating, with more than 1600 entries and about 1500 matches scheduled on the first three days of the tournament. Only facilities with 10 courts and above can dream of conducting such tournaments. Both saw 10 year olds entering both the
under-13 events an under-16 events. Likewise, many 13 year olds entered the under-16 and under-19 events. The Sub junior boys' singles field looked massive with more than 300 players All this points to the need to restrict the size of the qualifying draw. BAI specifically mentions that there is no restriction to the size of the qualifying draw. It is difficult for a player to play 5 to 6 rounds of qualifying and stand any chance of winning even a round in the main draw of a competition. The solution could be in empowering the organisers to reject entries beyond 128 in qualifying, based on national ranking and if need be, state ranking as is being done in international tournaments. The healthiest solution would be for the states to have a rich domestic circuit which satisfies the competitive needs of their players. Only the best of this lot needs to travel and play in the national level tournaments. Another suggestion which came up is to have a main draw of 64 in singles with
32 players as per the national ranking and 32 qualifiers. This will make a maximum of three rounds for the player to qualify (if the qualifying draw is resticted to 128). States should scrupulously monitor the entries sent by them eliminating way too under-age players participating in higher age category events and tightly clamp down on unnecessary withdrawals. Another option would be to have two different levels of competition. The qualifiers would play in a Category B event and win lesser prize money. They would gain points and gradually elevate themselves to be eligible to participate in the Category A (our present main draw) events. This model is being followed in some European countries. The above mentioned points are only suggestions to improve the lot of the players. How one wishes BAI could impose scrupulous age verification tests prescribed by Ministry of Sports to eradicate the overage malaise which is crippling Indian sports. - T.R. Balachandran
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