In comfort and peril playing the best; global player positions
View(s):From our doorstep events to Grand Slam of WTA and ATP events, the judgement of player maturity is to be effective to play the next point to win. It is that simple. There is nothing more important for a tennis player than this singularly in the next rally. What it entails is years of training, untold sacrifices, simple and not so simple to comprehend situations. Europe is the best for this learning curve. European tennis on now.
Last week, in Colombo, Dinara de Silva won ITF Under-18 junior events in SSC courts, twice back-to-back. Of all the tennis features she has, her cool nerves injected most venomous blows to her opponent. She is a good match player. Did the needed. Judgement on her is possible only when she plays a WTA ranker. This was only the Group 5 ITF and future must take her to WTA challenges. To a player, being there to weave the winning tapestry is what matters the most. Springtime flower withers when career ends; then what will linger on, moments on the court.
2025 Spanish Title – Madrid Open
Madrid Open demands high end of the player ability. Spanish European coveted title. Of recent Casper Ruud, well known, been in the non-winners’ list. The Dane was playing ATP’s newfound venomous British talent Jack Draper in the final. The Brit is the best player in recent times, a top tenner in ATP ranking. At present, in Men’s tennis, like Andy Murray, he too is a single horse parade from England. There are good few Brits in prominence now than a decade ago.
Draper’s physical ability, tactical play and lasting ability has already given him good few coveted titles. Now firmly established in the ATP ranking. He is good and won major titles.
In the Madrid final, Ruud and Draper were tired playing two weeks on red clay Spanish courts of Europe. They had to calculate survival in energy expenditure. Recovery before the next Grand Slam event the French Open at the end of this month and the Italian Open in between will be overtime duty in office.
These two ATP Top 10 decided to outlast the opponent. For Draper this not the best and not favourite game, but having the slow red clay of Spain under the feet and Ruud on the other side of the net, his options diminished. He had to outplay Ruud in his own game. It did not happen. Ruud came out of his title drought and took the title.
Madrid goes to Sabalenka
The 2025 title is her third Spanish crown. The Belarusian has her own mannerism and approach to win. If she loses, it has only to an experienced player, rarely to a green finger. She has no stroke making weaknesses. It will take very good player and in perfect form to beat Aryna Sabalenka. It happened, in the Australian Open final, she lost to American Madison Keys in three very close sets. In Madrid for the 2025 Spanish title Sabalenka beat Coco Gauff of USA in the final. On slow red clay court, Sabalenka stays on top from beginning to the end.
Following tennis in Sri Lanka
To view international tennis modern electronic media takes us to the ringside of all major sporting events. What more it permits replay. In observation most impressive is modern players’ physical ability to play long durations.
In our local scene, we take this for granted. A fatal error. It shows, their physical break down reaches well before stroke making efficiency vanes. In tennis, playing is continuous and open-ended time wise, tougher to accommodate tiredness.
In tennis development, what have we missed elite segment completely. Our tennis is over 100 years old, giving leads and engineered five generation of development. These on paper and results falls short. Our sporting is mostly for position and opportunity. Not benefit to elite players. Election into an association position is not Wimbledon title.
Break-up approach
Mix-mash approach must go, make specifics the catchword. For best attention, we can follow our schooling system. Primary and tertiary. Today the western world generate the most number of top end players. Although many nationalities grace ATP and WTA rankings, development is in few European and American venues. This example need following up locally.
Tennis is not a team sport; I am willing being labelled for it. Making tennis development a team sport oriented, bottom benefits and top sacrificed. Repeated occurrence of this over 100 years is what we have now. It cannot yield top end players. Right it is the bottom that gets all the benefits and top walking with the begging bowl for possibilities and opportunities. The purpose of ranking junior and juvenile has been in place well over 25 years. Wither bound is this pursuit. So far nowhere!
–George Paldano, European and Asian competition player; Coach German Tennis Federation; National coach Brunei and Sri Lanka; Davis Cup, Federation Cup coach, coached ATP, WTA and ITF ranked players in Europe and Asia; WhatsApp +94775448880–