Bangalore, 29 August 2023: For the first time in India, a centre to train and excel in wheelchair tennis is being opened. Deuce Tennis Centre will be setup with three tennis courts, accommodation facilities and other amenities to cater to all the needs of wheelchair tennis players.
Indian Wheelchair Tennis Tour (IWTT) setup in 2016 has been working to promote wheelchair tennis in India, to use sport as a tool for personal development and social inclusion with a vision to take Indian Wheelchair Tennis on to the World Map by 2028.
After conducting 12 AITA Ranked Wheelchair Tennis tournaments across India, preparing players for International Tournaments and upon working in the space for 8 years interacting with different stakeholders of the ecosystem – the players, coaches, state tennis associations, national tennis association, and independent clubs there was a clear need for a dedicated training facility in India. A hub for Indian players to train so they put their best to be on the World Map by 2028.
This centre will be built on a 1.3 acre of land situated at Sidhalghatta, Chikkaballapura District about 25 Kms from the Bengaluru International Airport.
Deuce Tennis Centre will design & and implement programs through tennis to provide equitable opportunities of participation to all the stakeholders of wheelchair tennis and tennis in general. The centre is being setup to –
Conduct training programs for players at all levels – from recreational to competitive
Conduct Coaches Training Programs
Training camps by International Tennis Experts
Design and offer leadership and management programs for tennis academies across India
Foster partnerships and mutual growth of all the stakeholders in the ecosystem of Tennis
Advocacy and Research centre for wheelchair tennis in India
Tennis Economics programs – to look at how tennis can be made more affordable
To provide opportunities to use tennis as therapy for kids with developmental delays
And many more….
29th Aug is India’s National Sports Day which is celebrated in honour of Major Dhyan Chand’s legacy and to recognise the value of sports in our everyday lives.
On this day of national importance, IWTT is officially announcing the setup of the Deuce Tennis Centre – a centre to alter what is possible for and by people with disabilities through wheelchair tennis.
This centre is the brainchild of Sunil Jain, a professional practising chartered accountant, Founder of Astha and Chairman IWTT. Speaking on this occasion, he said, “The support we have received for the last eight years, from donors, corporate companies, volunteers, tennis community has been huge and overwhelming. Coming so far would not have been possible without their support. We are proud of our journey and are committed to do everything that is required to have this facility be operational by May 2024. “
Nalani Buob, was ranked World No. 1 in Girls Category Wheelchair Tennis and is now a Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Player. Her mother Cecelia Buob is of Indian origin. Nalani conducted the first IWTT Wheelchair Tennis program for children in Bengaluru in 2018. Her life transformed once she started playing wheelchair tennis at the age of 12 and is committed to have other kids with physical disabilities experience this transformation. On this occasion she said “I started playing when I was 10 years and it’s been 12 years of playing tennis. When I started I was a shy little girl, I struggled with this disability factor and then I got to tennis through my class teacher who wanted me to be self-sufficient and not depend on my parents. When I started going to the coaching centre which was 10 minutes by train seemed like a world tour to me but now looking back I laugh as I travel the world for tournaments on my own. It just shows how much confidence it has given me, being exposed to the world through wheelchair tennis, meeting other people in wheelchair made me feel accepted. When I started winning tournaments it felt like I could achieve things in Tennis and made me more confident. Now giving back to kids in India through tennis is what I am looking forward to.”
Somdev Devvarman, Advisory Board Member, IWTT. Former tennis player Arjuna Awardee and in 2018, he was awarded with the civilian award Padmashri. After playing in ATP tournaments, Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and many other national and international tournaments Somedev comes with a rich experience of what is needed on the court and off the court of for development of tennis. On this occasion he said “It is required to have a stand-alone facility where players could train, there could be camps, bootcamps. The wheelchair tennis facility is a necessary step in the right direction – through this facility lot of kids can be impacted. One of the biggest disadvantages now is lack of continuity for players while there is a good tour, quite a few tournaments happening it is lack of continuity in training which is a roadblock. This one facility holds the key to several players’ dreams – it is a dream for an entire community that we can play wheelchair tennis at the highest level.”
Marc Kalkman, Technical Director, IWTT. Marc is part of the development program of wheelchair tennis put forth by the International Tennis Federation. Since 1989 he has been a wheelchair tennis coach and was a coach with different National Tennis Associations. Over the years Marc has coached some of the best players of wheelchair tennis in the world who have gone on to win grand slam titles. In 2019 Marc visited Bengaluru to conduct a 3 day training program of wheelchair tennis players in India. He added “one of the most important parts is to create a full accessible facility to develop their skills, if this is not there and they are reliable on how many courts are available at other tennis centres, it is much more difficult to get the consistent development of players. For the total development of wheelchair tennis in India this is a stepping stone. I am looking forward to training coaches and share my expertise.”
Mr. Basavaraj, Ex Disability Commissioner, Govt. of Karnataka. Instrumental in making APD (Association for Persons with Disability) such an impactful organisation serving thousands of people with disabilities in rehabilitation and employment. He added “persons with disabilities need platforms like this to excel and think beyond survival needs. It is projects and the work like that gives lot of confidence to parents of kids with disabilities that their children to can aspire to achieve and provide leadership in the communities”
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