Commitment key to the top in singles, says Vijay

Commitment and single-minded devotion is the key for tennis aspirants to reach the top in singles events, former Indian Davis Cup captain Vijay Amritraj said on Tuesday.

Speaking about the growth of Indian tennis at a press conference in Madras, mainly convened to discuss the 'Legends tournament' in Bangalore from November 9 to 12, Amritraj said under-16 players in India, who are comparable to the best in the world in that age group, need to go abroad more often and train in reputed academies to achieve winning results at the international level.

"At present, these players are are satisfied in winning tournaments in India only. They are happy making money to the tune of about Rs 3 lakh per year," he said.

To a question, he replied that tennis and golf are next only to cricket in popularity. ''Cricket will continue to be a religion amongst Indian sports lovers, despite problems the game is now facing due to match-fixing scandals. New heroes will surface and once India starts winning matches, the stigma will be wiped out," he opined.

On the ATP Tour and other international events held in India, he said, "Chennai will be the permanent venue for the ATP Tour. The World Doubles in Bangalore is for two years."

Stating that IMG had the rights to the ATP Tour in India, he said, "Other events are leased out to be held in India."

He lauded the number of tournaments like WTA events and Futures for youngsters being held in the country.