Tennis as a sport is growing in popularity in India, and many young athletes are taking up the sport professionally. Even though most sports fans in India prefer cricket, tennis has a group of cult followers who would not shy away from spending nights watching the American Open. These people belong mostly to the urban middle and upper-class groups. Which is why, in a country obsessed with cricket and football, a tennis career in India can be a hard choice.

Players like Mahesh Bhupati, Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza have brought more attention to tennis in India and garnered a huge following who support their favorite national players in Grand Slams and Olympics. If your child is a tennis fan and wants to become another Bhupati, Rohan, Paes or Mirza, here’s where you should begin from.

Top Tennis Academies in India

Since tennis already has a niche group of followers in urban areas, India has many renowned tennis academies across the country, many of which are run by eminent players themselves. An extremely experienced group of coaches and advisors provides excellent guidance to young players looking to take up tennis as their definitive career options. 

• Mahesh Bhupati Tennis Academies (MBTA)

The MBTA is established and run by Mahesh Bhupati. The Wimbledon and French Open winner aims to use this institution to promote the game and help more people from the country to learn and appreciate it.

The MBTA also has programs where they reach out to schools in rural areas to scout for talent that may not have the privilege to pursue their tennis dreams. 

A structured system helps make sure that the academy provides quality guidance for students who have to prove themselves through a grinding graduation program. The MBTA currently has ten venues across the country and vocally vouches for its highly experienced and qualified coaching staff.

• Rohan Bopanna The Sports School Tennis Academy (RBTSSTA)

The Sports School in Bengaluru provides programs for different sports to numerous students. The academy has partnered with 21 Grand Slam winner Rohan Bopanna to provide both developmental programs and training guidance. The Sports School tennis program with Rohan Bopanna is among the best the country has to offer.

Rohan Bopanna is the most familiar face for the Indian Doubles Tennis team. Together with Leander Paes, Bopanna has represented India in numerous tournaments and won countless awards to establish himself as one of the country’s guiding figures.

A highly trained team of coaches gives students a proper curriculum to adapt to and utilize for their development. A 27-acre academy premise offers international quality training on different courts, gymnasiums, video rooms, and hostel facilities for students.

A team headed by Balachandran Mannikkath makes this academy a perfect place for those who are willing to take up tennis as their career choice. 

• Indian Tennis Academy (ITA)

An all-encompassing tennis approach gives ITA an edge as an academy over many others. ITA has a highly qualified staff who focuses on tennis as a single sport and trains both the mind and body of the students to help them achieve their potential.

The academy also prepares a dietary chart for the students in Delhi to ensure an overall development, which is must to live through a strenuous tennis game.

• Jaidip Mukherjea Tennis Academy

A legendary name in the Indian Tennis circuit, Jaidip Mukherjea established this tennis coaching institute in Kolkata in 1999. This academy promises to nurture and develop the talents and abilities of its students through a structured program.

Set in a peaceful environment, the academy has three different courts where the students can get all the practice and coaching they require or make those backhands perfect for baffling the opponents. 

Professional Tennis Training At The Sports School

The Sports School understands that every student has different requirements and learning methods. This is why it has unique training programs for its students.

The academy has different modules for different age groups to help the students to choose their best option. With 17 international level courts in an expansive land area, this academy has the training advantage over its peers in the country. 

A highly experienced staff consisting of Olympians and veteran fitness coaches guide the students at the academy. The overall environment at the academy develops their tennis skills and focuses on physical and mental sharpness training for better performance. 

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The stereotypical Physical Education teacher with his funny mannerisms, the worn-down basketball that has clearly seen better days, the rough cement pitch that passes for the school grounds, and many more such memories are tied to the idea of sports education in regular Indian schools. 

While several schools may endeavor to update their sports infrastructure, sports remain low on the list of priorities of an academic institution. Even for parents, sport is merely a pastime, a hobby, and often a distraction for their kids, keeping them from focusing on their science and maths lessons.

All these changes with India’s first integrated school for sports and education, The Sports School. The vast 27-acre campus in Bangalore, India, is home to the country’s budding athletes as they receive professional training in various sports like Tennis, Football, Badminton, Cricket, and Basketball. The Sports School looks to change the history of sports education and training for young athletes in India, helping them build a strong foundation from an early age.

So what makes us different from any other school in the country claiming to offer sports education to your child? Here’s a quick look at the differences.

Regular Schools vs The Sports School

Quality of Sports Education 

Sports education is rarely a priority at a regular school, which is why physical education periods are scheduled maybe once or twice a week. The quality of education we offer at The Sports School is aeons ahead. With world-class infrastructure and some of the most renowned names in the sport on board as partners and mentors, students receive an international level of specialized sports training for a guaranteed 3-8 hours each day.

Academic Curriculum 

Academics are a major part of a child’s development process, but should not inhibit a young athlete’s opportunity to develop their sporting talents. This is why The Sports School allows a flexible academic curriculum, based on the child’s sporting commitments. When children are not forced to stick to a rigid academic schedule and learn at their own pace, interest in and retention of academic knowledge is far greater.

Trainers, coaches, and role models

If your children are interested in tennis, could you imagine the look on their faces when they receive training from Rohan Bopanna himself? Or how about your little one, who is a cricket enthusiast, getting to train with Robin Uthappa directly? These are not fantasy stories, but real possibilities at The Sports School, where leading coaches and trainers teach your children and nourish their sporting talents. This is unheard of at regular schools, where children can only dream of meeting their role models, let alone playing with them.

Sports infrastructure 

At a regular school, the most you will find is an all-purpose school ground where all sorts of sports are played. The best education for your child can only be guaranteed if they have access to the best infrastructure, which we are proud to have at our massive 27-acre residential campus. 

At The Sports School, your child has access to:

• BWF Standard 12 Wooden Indoor Synthetic Badminton courts
• 7 ITF Classified Acrylic Cushioned Tennis Courts with floodlights
• FIFA Quality Pro Certified Artificial Football Turf
• International Standard 65m Natural Turf Cricket Grounds with Indoor and Outdoor Nets
• 2 FIBA Standard Basketball Courts and a Half-Court with Floodlight Facility
• State-of-the-art Gymnasium
• Highly equipped library and smart classrooms
• Sports physiotherapist and psychologist
• Healthy and hygienic nutrition

The difference between the sporting education at a regular school and The Sports School is quite apparent. As a wholly integrated school for sports & education, we can proudly say that it is not just a regular school, but so much more. 

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A vast majority of the sports events that were to be held in 2020 got postponed, thanks to the global outbreak of the coronavirus. Sports enthusiasts across the world were saddened as they were deprived of watching their favorite sports stars in action.  Thankfully, these events are going to resume in 2021, making this a golden year for all of us. The year will be packed with some of the top events like the Tokyo Olympics and Wimbledon, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Here is a list of all such major sporting events planned for 2021 (Sports Calendar 2021)-

Thailand Open: The first event to take place in 2021 was Thailand open badminton championship. It was organized in Bangkok from 12th January to 17th January. Though one of the popular badminton events in the world, this championship wasn’t a part of the Olympic qualification.

Australian Open: Australia has taken significant efforts to organize the Australian Open this year after all the commotion last year. Around 300 players had arrived in Australia in January and were subjected to strict quarantine. Each player was allowed to practice five hours a day. Australian Open was the first grand slam tournament of this year that started from 10th January and will continue until 21st February, in Melbourne.

Cheltenham Festival: It is a four-day festival which will be held behind closed doors. Sadly, no spectators would be allowed to watch this event live. Not even the horse owners are allowed to attend this event. This decision was taken based on strict protocols laid down by the British government. This will be a significant revenue loss for the town as it is considered one of the top money-spinners for it. The event is scheduled to take place from 16th March to 19th March at Cheltenham racecourse.

ISSF World Cup 2021: The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup acts as a pre-Olympic test event, helping the marksmen tune their skills before the actual Olympics. This year the ISSF World Cup 2021 will take place in New Delhi, India from 18th March to 19th March.

World Athletic Indoor Championship: The World Athletic Indoor championship acts as a global championship for all athletes. Like the ISSF World Cup, this event is an ideal platform for athletes to train for the Olympics. It is supposed to take place from 19th March to 21st March.

India Open Super 500:  Another major badminton tournament, the India Open Super 500 is crucial for Indian badminton players as this would be their last chance to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. The event will take place between 11th May and 16th May in New Delhi, India.

2021 World Snooker Championship: England is all set to host the World Snooker Championship 2021 from 17th April to 3rd May at the Crucible Theatre. Like the past World Snooker Championships, tickets are available in three tiers, all of which are available online.

World Olympic Qualifying Tournament: Hundreds of boxers will be looking forward to the World Olympic Qualifying Tournament to cement their place in Tokyo Olympics. The tournament has been planned for June 2021. However, the exact dates for the event are yet to be finalized by the committee. This will be done after monitoring the COVID-19 situation.

French Open: The Second Grand Slam of 2021, the French Open will take place at Stade Roland Garros in Paris. The first round will begin on 23rd May. This mega event will culminate with the quarter-finals on 1st June and finals on 5th June and 6th June.

Euro 2020: Arguably, the most expected football tournaments of 2021 is the Euro 2020 challenge. Originally planned in 2020, this event has been postponed to 2021. It will be a royal treat to football fans as some of the biggest football teams are going to take part in the tournament. Euro 2020 will be conducted in 12 cities. The UEFA still hasn’t decided on the audience capacity for the tournament. The decision for the same would vary for each city and would be decided at a later point in time.

Wimbledon: The granddaddy of all tennis tournaments, Wimbledon was cancelled in 2020. However, it is a major relief for tennis buffs as the event has been scheduled to take place this year from 28th June to 11th July. However, the tournament is open to all possibilities from full occupancy to completely closed doors. This will be decided as per the situation.

ICC T20 World Cup: India will be hosting the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup. This will be played between 16 teams and will happen in October and November 2021. Originally this event was supposed to be hosted by Australia in 2020 but got postponed to 2021 with India as the new host.

Tokyo Olympics & Paralympics: We have saved the best for the last. This grand event was initially supposed to be held in 2020, but due to safety concerns was postponed to 2021. Since the Olympics is an event attended by thousands of people, safety became the utmost priority for the committee. The committee is still pondering whether to have a full packed stadium or reduce the number of visitors. 

The International Olympic Committee is hoping for the vaccines to reach every person in the world soon, as the event is supposed to host at least 11,000 participants, 10,000 officials, and 20,000 journalists in Japan. However, the Tokyo Olympics is still one event that people are waiting to commence and cheer their respective nation. It is scheduled from 23rd June to 8th August while the Paralympics is scheduled from 24th August to 5th September.

Wrapping Up

The year 2021 is packed with exciting sports events. It is an excellent opportunity for sports enthusiasts to enjoy all the action they missed in 2020. However, due to safety concerns, most events would still take place with minimal or no crowd. Still, people can watch each of these sporting events through television or the internet.

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