Malaysia is not known for its prowess in tennis.
But the hosting of several regional and international tournaments in the Southeast Asian nation can help raise further interest in the sport and unearth more talents along the way.
Former international Adam Jaya says it is only right for the guardians of the sport to take advantage of the events by developing talents at the grassroots.
“At present we have eight International Tennis Federation (ITF) Under-18 tournaments in Malaysia. This is good for the Malaysian players as they don’t have to spend travelling abroad to get their world rankings,” said Adam, who is a committee member of Selangor Tennis Association (STA).
“In March, STA organised the ITF Under-18. It was good, the response was good. Selangor will soon be hosting Asia Tennis Championship 14 & Under, and we are getting an even bigger number of participants.
“That’s what we are trying to do, especially since players are now travelling after various lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic have been lifted. Such events provide a stepping-stone for more things to come. We are trying to organise more development programmes and tournaments.”
The Asia Tennis Championship 14 & Under will be held on Aug 20-27 at the Petaling Jaya City Council Tennis Centre in Kelana Jaya, Selangor. The Grade A tournament will feature 106 players from 16 nations.
Players from Selangor competing in the event include S. Devesh, Ryan Tan Ei Jey, S.S. Amarr, Jon Caleb Valentino, Lucas Alexander Lim, Ian Chew Ye-Haur, Lynn Lim, Zooey Mak, S. Dhevieena Sarawanan, and Shir-Ree Fong.
“STA also has the monthly medal, a one-day tournament for those who fall between the Under-18 and Under-14 categories. These groups are training but they also need to be in a competitive environment.
“There’s also the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia national circuit and the Asian Tennis Federation Under-14 tournament held in Selangor.”
Adam said it was only right for budding players to take advantage of the various tournaments that are being held in the country.
“I truly hope with the hosting of such tournaments, we will see a spike in interest in tennis. They now have these opportunities, and they should take advantage of them.
“The situation is getting better. I’ve seen a lot more juniors training.”
Adam admitted the talent pool in Malaysia remained small, but was quick to add that there were signs of improvement.
“It is slowly improving. If we keep having tournaments… if it keeps going, we can get a bigger pool of talents for every age group. This has to be planned and tabled, not just talked about.
“The events are back, and we have to take it from there,” he added.
