Hyderabad: Seeking to bridge the gap between sheer talent and top-level competition, tennis star Sania Mirza is launching a high-performance program at her Hyderabad-based tennis academy, an effort that marks another step towards ensuring that India nurtures world-class athletes.
Scheduled to kick off on May 1, the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy, in an attempt to create a well-designed training environment for players of all ages, will train them on both technical and non-technical aspects, including fitness, strategy, and psychology. This factor is commonly acknowledged to be the weak link in Indian tennis’s developmental chain.
In order to further enhance the standards of the high-performance program by introducing elements of international coaching philosophy, the academy has signed on Portuguese national Marco Seruca, a former Davis Cup player who has had over three decades of experience under his belt.
Six-time Grand Slam champion and Padma Bhushan winner, Sania, said that the program fills an urgent need in Indian tennis. She pointed out that although there is no dearth of talent in India, there is still a lack of a proper atmosphere in which these talents can be groomed to become world-class athletes.
Following the same line of thought, Seruca stated that the academy provides the perfect platform to convert raw talent into high-level performance. This is because the Indian players can now receive training according to international standards.
The program will take place on a six-day schedule per week. It will comprise customised development programs, regular performance reviews, two daily sessions of court training, fitness training, and tournament participation training.
Before the full program begins, the academy will conduct a three-day tennis mini camp from April 10. This camp will cater to people of all age groups. During the camp, the participants will receive on-the-spot training, individual analysis, and parent-child counselling sessions.
Through this program, Sania Mirza seems to be transitioning from accolades to building a legacy in Indian tennis from Hyderabad.
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