“This coming year will see peace and harmony in the side.” These were India Davis Cup captain Anand Amritraj’s words in October 2013, a month after he took over. The appointment had come after a tumultuous few months which witnessed a players’ rebellion against the All India Tennis Association (AITA).
In the two years since then, there is next to nothing to suggest it has been anything but smooth sailing. And in September last year, the side, punching above its weight, was within one win of defeating Serbia and securing a place in the World Group.
“It is as good as I have seen in the last 20 years,” says Zeeshan Ali, the coach, of the camaraderie within the team. “The support system each player has is genuinely good. They look out for each other. Not just during the Davis Cup but throughout [the season].”
Team leaders engage in many different roles to improve effectiveness. From structuring the team to establishing its purposes, to helping individual members, to getting rid of organisational roadblocks, everything needs to be taken care of. In the Indian Davis Cup set-up, Zeeshan takes care of the technical side, while Amritraj is in charge of the management part.
“The most important thing is the experience we both bring in,” says Zeeshan. “He has rich Cup experience. I have been coaching for 18 to 20 years around the world.”
“Also, during away matches, there is no luxury of having more hitting partners. I am still fit enough to play and that’s where lies my vital role: that of a sparring partner.”
One of the most significant aspects of coaching is to effectively deal with the reality that different issues need different approaches at different stages.
“Each guy needs something different,” says Amritraj. “Some guys take advice better than others. Somdev [Devvarman] is a great listener. So I keep talking. But I was pleasantly surprised with what happened with Leander [Paes].”
“He was serving a lot of double faults against Serbia. They were picking his serve. I asked him ‘why serve into Ilija Bozoljac’s forehand just because he has a good backhand. Don’t limit the space you are serving into’. He listened and turned it around. So I say what I need to say. If they are willing to listen, I’ll say more. If not, I tone it down.”
“Advice is always welcomed,” says Zeeshan. “With Leander, a whole lot need not be told. But in the heat of the moment one gets a little ahead. A look from the captain or the coach helps.”
“But, with someone like Ramkumar [Ramanathan], you need to talk more. He is very young and lot more work goes in.”
Much of it also depends on interpersonal relations. Intimate involvement of different players with the coaching staff in strategising is essential for optimum team performance.
“Somdev was with me in Chennai from 1999 to 2003 at the Britannia Academy,” says Amritraj. “Leander was the ball boy in the Davis Cup match against Italy in 1985 when Vijay and I played. I hit with him after that, and he was one of my picks. He stayed in Chennai from 1985 to 1990. He knows this story as much as I do [laughs].”
“I know Ramkumar very well too. In 2007 and ’08, I used to hit with him in Chennai three times a week. Only in case of Yuki [Bhambri] did I not know much. But now I know him better.”
Yet, with players constantly on the move, the time that a Davis Cup coach gets to spend with his or her players is short.
“Anand and I are always in touch,” says Zeeshan. “And we are in turn communicating with the players. So we know where they are playing and how.”
“Before every match we play, each player has something he has already been working on. We just fine tune it. Everything is a continuous process.”
http://www.thehindu.com/sport/tennis/the-amritraj-management-mantra/article7430433.ece
No comments:
Post a Comment