Read our other experiences below:
About Mr. T. Chandarsekaran
In his storied career Mr Chandarsekaran has achieved numerous accolades, a few of them include:
- Indian Team Coach for many international events.
- Won more than 100 career titles.
- Partnered many Davis Cup players like Ramesh Krishnan, Leander Paes and Nandan Bal.
- Coached 14 Davis Cup players like Leander and Divij Sharan among many others.
- Currently coaching Ramkumar Ramanathan.
It was a pleasure and honor to spend a few days in the classroom and on court learning his point of view on tennis and what the next generation can learn from him.
I can assuredly say that I now know the “A to Z” of tennis, having learned it directly from his 50+ years of experience in the sport.
Can History Repeat Itself
Listening to Mr. T. Chandarsekaran talk about the game’s yesteryears was a welcome lesson on its past. He spoke about how the 1950’s and 60’s were marked with the finesse of Ramanathan Krishnan, a twice semi-finalist of Wimbledon in 1960 and 1961. The 1970’s saw players like Vijay and Anand Amritraj, SP Misra, Sashi Menon etc…who all played a significant role in helping India shine on the world stage back then.
Did you know India was in the final of the Davis Cup against Australia in 1966, led by Ramanathan Krishnan and Jaidip Mukerjea, among others. The country was once again in the final in 1974 led by the Amritraj brothers, Sashi Menon and Jasjit Singh, against South Africa.
The mantle was then taken over by players like Mahesh Bhupathi, Leander Paes in the 80’s and Sania Mirza following close behind in the early 2000’s. The 2010’s saw players like Vishnu Vardhan, Yuki Bhambri, Prajnesh Gunesswaran and recently Sumit Nagal making a name for themselves.
We’ve yet to see the same Grand Slam success as we saw in the Singles back in the 60’s, but maybe those days are soon approaching? Mr. Chandarsekaran did note that we are touching that level but are not able to rev past the 1st lap as of yet.
Changes To Succeed
Everything starts at the very bottom of the ladder. Similarly in tennis, or any sport, the first foundation steps are what lay the groundwork for players to succeed. The nation depends on us to help implement standards that allow youngsters to learn, train and enjoy the sport at the same time.
It’s not a ‘job’ for a child and should not be presented to them as such. What’s needed now are concepts to help them develop their skills at different levels by qualified coaches who can inspire, innovate and are very importantly creative with their approach.
As a coach himself, one could see that he still cared about teaching the sport. He also expressed his desire to see a Grand Slam champion from India in Singles in his lifetime. Let’s try and make that happen!
With his passion for teaching still burning at the age of 63, his energy was inspiring. Insisting on showing us the drills he uses by himself rather than with an assitant or player was remarkable.
Final Thoughts
There are many reasons why he has the accolades of having trained and worked with 14 Davis Cup players to his name, the biggest one I feel is because of his desire. He has a set goal in his mind of what he wants from a player. The goal is then set into motion by observation, creativity and innovation on the court to help the player realize something that they’ve only been dreaming about so far.
This is the essence of coaching, this is the essence of what makes a champion. Very few coaches have it, if you find one make sure you don’t let them go.