Sania Mirza: I think former players should get involved in administration

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza has called for more players to be involved on the administrative side of sports in India as they can help younger players from their first hand experience in the sport.

Mirza is one of the biggest female sporting icons in India and she is, by far, the most successful female tennis player that India has ever produced. She is the first Indian to win a Grand Slam title of any kind and was the No. 1 ranked doubles player as well. In singles, she reached the Top 30 in the world rankings - another first for Indian women's tennis.

Sania Mirza says former players should be involved on the administration side

Speaking on an online chat with the Indian sports portal Sportskeeda, Mirza says that former players should be more involved as they are the only ones who have first-hand experience of what can be done to improve the sport and guide younger players.

Mirza said that this system would benefit Indian tennis, the players and the parents. "Tennis specially needs this system in place badly. If I want my child to play tennis, I don't know what to do about it. I need to go to a national tennis academy. I need that in place. I need a federation in place, where I can go and call them 'This is what I want to do, what is the next step that I need to take?' or whatever it is. There needs to be so much more."

There are some players from India who have taken up roles in Indian tennis. Earlier this year, Rohan Bopanna was appointed a vice-president at the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA). In March 2017, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, appointed Somdev Devvarman as the national observer for tennis but has had differences with the All India Tennis Association over several issues.

Sania Mirza, who has already set up her own tennis academy in Hyderabad, returned to the tennis circuit in January this year after a two-year break during which she gave birth to her first child. She will not play the upcoming US Open due to concerns about travelling in the current global pandemic.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2YW26X8