Tennis (academies) in India in dec/Jan. Info anyone?

[peoplespeace]

Does anybody know where to play some good tennis in India in dec. and jan, preferably in a not too expensive academy or a nice (country) club with plenty players of a decent level where one can pay for membership for weeks or month at a time? Any serious players of at least 4.5 ntrp want to join me on a tennis vacation to india?

 

[10sEmporer]

Does anybody know where to play some good tennis in India in dec. and jan, preferably in a not too expensive academy or a nice (country) club with plenty players of a decent level where one can pay for membership for weeks or month at a time? Any serious players of at least 4.5 ntrp want to join me on a tennis vacation to india?

hey peoplespeace... you know I kinda envy your style... your tennis sux, but to go around places and hit balls is really cool.

 

[sureshs]

Which cities?

 

[peoplespeace]

Which cities?

well anywhere i guess, but i understand that the westcoast and south has the nicest weather from dec to feb?

 

[sureshs]

Yes. It depends on which cities you are visiting. Frankly, tennis has grown every year I visit, but it is not at the level where you chose a place to visit based on tennis. It should be the other way around.

I am familiar with the Chennai tennis scene, and the concept of recreational play can be said to be virtually non-existent. There are a few exclusive members-only clubs with a closed clientele, and often very unskilled adult players. Then there are a few other places where you can play with a coach or assistant coach for a fee, and likely will not have any other players to hit with, unless you live there and have your own circle. Coaches in these places make no effort to advertise themselves or make you feel welcome.

 

[peoplespeace]

Yes. It depends on which cities you are visiting. Frankly, tennis has grown every year I visit, but it is not at the level where you chose a place to visit based on tennis. It should be the other way around.

I am familiar with the Chennai tennis scene, and the concept of recreational play can be said to be virtually non-existent. There are a few exclusive members-only clubs with a closed clientele, and often very unskilled adult players. Then there are a few other places where you can play with a coach or assistant coach for a fee, and likely will not have any other players to hit with, unless you live there and have your own circle. Coaches in these places make no effort to advertise themselves or make you feel welcome.

ahh ic, tx for the warning! what about academies? I read about an academy in chennai saying that they also catered for adult tournament players without specifying programs. Surely the must be some academies around with at least a handfull of decent players, or what?

I want to be able to play/train tennis at a decent level everyday in a city/area that is culturally also fairly interesting, from the point of view of getting to know indian culture. I dont NEED beaches and world famous sights, if u know what i mean?

 

[sureshs]

There is Krishnan Training Center (KTC). Maybe some new ones have come up. Marketing tends to be by word of mouth, so difficult to find out.

http://www.webindia.com/ktc/

I have contacted them before, but in summer when I am there, they have adult play only in the mornings before it gets too hot, so I never went.

I have my own place to play (SDAT stadium where the ATP Chennai is held late Dec/Early Jan) and couple of coaches there who hit with me every other day. Over the years, we have built a relationship and they show up whenever it is mutually convenient in a reliable manner. But hardly any other adult players. Many juniors though. But it is not possible to do this through a web site or calling a number. I have set this up by persistently going after them and making it worth their time.

Bangalore and Hyderabad will have more.

 

[peoplespeace]

There is Krishnan Training Center (KTC). Maybe some new ones have come up. Marketing tends to be by word of mouth, so difficult to find out.

http://www.webindia.com/ktc/

I have contacted them before, but in summer when I am there, they have adult play only in the mornings before it gets too hot, so I never went.

I have my own place to play (SDAT stadium where the ATP Chennai is held late Dec/Early Jan) and couple of coaches there who hit with me every other day. Over the years, we have built a relationship and they show up whenever it is mutually convenient in a reliable manner. But hardly any other adult players. Many juniors though. But it is not possible to do this through a web site or calling a number. I have set this up by persistently going after them and making it worth their time.

Bangalore and Hyderabad will have more.

Tx alot for the info! Yeah its great to have good contacts with good players around the world, makes eveything much easier. It can be a headache to find good players to play with daily when travelling!

The website i had checked out was of the Baseline Tennis Academy but the Krishnan one seems better if judged by the websites. If this place has a decently sized group of advanced 16-25 yr old players that one can join that would be excellent, maybe ill call them. Ill definetely also go see the chennai atp if im in the region at that time.

Ill also see what i can find out about the tennis scene in Bangalore and Hyderabad. Would u dare guessing at the price of joining an academy for a month? An would u know of a website that offers accomodation on a monthly basis?

 

[sureshs]

Now I remember something about the website. But this is a good example of how you found something but it is not widely known due to lack of marketing and linking.

The location is a little away from the city center, and traffic can get bad during prime time as it is the place where all the new technical colleges and IT shops have sprung up over the years. In fact, it is inside one of those colleges. I have often passed by that college.

Email them and see what they say.

 

[sureshs]

16-25 is not the age group which will be available to you. The good ones will be advanced juniors and college players who will have their own practice schedule. The "adults" will be much older than that - typically affluent people who attach a lot of prestige value to belong to a tennis group. The colonial tradition of equating tennis and golf to social get-togethers for the well-heeled still continues. I was at one of the oldest clubs in the city this year which has a few clay courts, and the clientele was either very rich businessmen, executives, or retired military. Standard of play was around the 2.5 to 3.0 level.

 

[peoplespeace]

16-25 is not the age group which will be available to you. The good ones will be advanced juniors and college players who will have their own practice schedule. The "adults" will be much older than that - typically affluent people who attach a lot of prestige value to belong to a tennis group. The colonial tradition of equating tennis and golf to social get-togethers for the well-heeled still continues. I was at one of the oldest clubs in the city this year which has a few clay courts, and the clientele was either very rich businessmen, executives, or retired military. Standard of play was around the 2.5 to 3.0 level.

But if there arent any adult groups, i guess it should be possible to join the youngsters right? At least that is what i have done at other acdemies around the world.

 

[OTMPut]

Google bhupathi academy. They have a pretty good school in Bangalore. You could call them and I am sure they would work out something for you.

 

[sureshs]

Google bhupathi academy. They have a pretty good school in Bangalore. You could call them and I am sure they would work out something for you.

It is run by Mahesh's father, who was also Sania's early coach.

I suspect Bangalore and Hyderabad are better bets than Chennai for tennis based on the higher number of expats and higher paying jobs. On the other hand, Chennai has a much richer tradition, being the home of the Krishnans and Amritrajs, and both Paes and Devvarman trained there early on.

 

[sureshs]

But if there arent any adult groups, i guess it should be possible to join the youngsters right? At least that is what i have done at other acdemies around the world.

They may not want you around. And you cannot just join them. Rules are strict about when juniors can play and when adults can play and different rates and times.I had to play in the hot sun at 3 pm because the juniors come in at 4 pm.

 

[peoplespeace]

They may not want you around. And you cannot just join them. Rules are strict about when juniors can play and when adults can play and different rates and times.I had to play in the hot sun at 3 pm because the juniors come in at 4 pm.

ic, tx, ill make sure i talk to them before going.

 

[peoplespeace]

Google bhupathi academy. They have a pretty good school in Bangalore. You could call them and I am sure they would work out something for you.

excellent, tx alot for that info!

 

[OTMPut]

http://www.tennisvillage.net/

 

[sureshs]

^^^ The Bhupathi academy above looks good. As I said, the action now is in Bangalore. Interesting how they have a two-tier payment scheme, one being in dollars for foreigners. Shows how international the place is.

The other interesting thing is their mention of "excellent toilet facilities." In Chennai, before I started playing at the ATP stadium, I used to play on clay courts in a park with NO toilet facilities (we used the "natural" surroundings as a urinal). It is not uncommon to find this peculiar anomaly - everything looks great except when you realize there is no bathroom/horrible one/locked one.

 

[peoplespeace]

^^^ The Bhupathi academy above looks good. As I said, the action now is in Bangalore. Interesting how they have a two-tier payment scheme, one being in dollars for foreigners. Shows how international the place is.

The other interesting thing is their mention of "excellent toilet facilities." In Chennai, before I started playing at the ATP stadium, I used to play on clay courts in a park with NO toilet facilities (we used the "natural" surroundings as a urinal). It is not uncommon to find this peculiar anomaly - everything looks great except when you realize there is no bathroom/horrible one/locked one.

haha yes i noticed the same two things: The different quote for foreigners and the excellent toilet facilities, and i guess u have explained why they would mention the latter! :shock:

 

[sureshs]

haha yes i noticed the same two things: The different quote for foreigners and the excellent toilet facilities, and i guess u have explained why they would mention the latter! :shock:

I think Krishna Bhupathi may have spied on me making use of "Nature" in the clay court park in Chennai and decided he had to do better.

The dollar rates are for two groups of students I think: one is the expat group who is there because a parent is on delegation from a MNC or on vacation from Dubai etc, and the other will be from non-Western countries who can afford to send their children abroad for tennis camp.

 

[OTMPut]

peoplespeace, sureshs

i spoke to people at tennis village in bangalore. they can customize training for an adult player. they could even arrange for stay inside the village. lodging looks a bit pricey for me. otherwise the training fee seems like good value to me. PM me if you need contact details. I plan to spend a week in January.

 

[peoplespeace]

I think Krishna Bhupathi may have spied on me making use of "Nature" in the clay court park in Chennai and decided he had to do better.

The dollar rates are for two groups of students I think: one is the expat group who is there because a parent is on delegation from a MNC or on vacation from Dubai etc, and the other will be from non-Western countries who can afford to send their children abroad for tennis camp.

i guess its not too unfair that relatively wealthy foreigners pay a little more, but i wonder if superrich indians pay more too!?

 

[peoplespeace]

peoplespeace, sureshs

i spoke to people at tennis village in bangalore. they can customize training for an adult player. they could even arrange for stay inside the village. lodging looks a bit pricey for me. otherwise the training fee seems like good value to me. PM me if you need contact details. I plan to spend a week in January.

Hey OTMPut, great info there! Good job The price i saw on the site included accomodation but i guess that is just dorms for the juniors or what? Do u know what kind of accomodation they could offer and at what price? Eg for a month stay. Have u been there before? Do u know the location of the academy? Is in located so that one can explore indian culture when not playing tennis or is it located a far drive from the city? Do u think that it would be feasable and possible to find non-hotel accomodation for a month in Bangalore and go to the Village every day or even twice a day? And lastly when do u think u might go in jan?

 

[OTMPut]

I think the price list on their website is for juniors (dorms).
For adults, there are guest houses and they quoted 3000 INR (52 INR = 1 USD) per day inclusive of food. Not too bad, but I do not know what your budget is.

It is not very far From city and you should be able to find lodging- hotel or non hotel nearby.

Yes you can explore around. Bangalore and surrounding places have plenty of sight seeing.

My dates are not finalized yet. I will keep you updated if I get clarity.

 

[sureshs]

The rate can fluctuate widely anywhere from 42 to 52. It is very high now and if possible try to lock it down by getting the money right away.

60 dollars for a few hours of instruction and play + food and board sounds a great deal. Find out if the guest house is within walking distance or is there a shuttle or you are on your own.

Also, the food may not be to your liking and you may want to explore other places at extra expense. Make sure Mysore palaces, the Jain statue, and Nagarhole National park for the elephants are in your itinerary. I have never been to the last one though.

I may visit the city next July for a couple of days. I sight-seed there a while ago, before the IT boom set in.

 

[peoplespeace]

I think the price list on their website is for juniors (dorms).
For adults, there are guest houses and they quoted 3000 INR (52 INR = 1 USD) per day inclusive of food. Not too bad, but I do not know what your budget is.

It is not very far From city and you should be able to find lodging- hotel or non hotel nearby.

Yes you can explore around. Bangalore and surrounding places have plenty of sight seeing.

My dates are not finalized yet. I will keep you updated if I get clarity.

This sounds pretty good! Are u sure that the price of 3000 INR includes the training and isnt just the lodging and food?

 

[peoplespeace]

The rate can fluctuate widely anywhere from 42 to 52. It is very high now and if possible try to lock it down by getting the money right away.

60 dollars for a few hours of instruction and play + food and board sounds a great deal. Find out if the guest house is within walking distance or is there a shuttle or you are on your own.

Also, the food may not be to your liking and you may want to explore other places at extra expense. Make sure Mysore palaces, the Jain statue, and Nagarhole National park for the elephants are in your itinerary. I have never been to the last one though.

I may visit the city next July for a couple of days. I sight-seed there a while ago, before the IT boom set in.

Tats a pretty big currency fluctuations. If it fluctuates often and usually between 42-52 is sounds like and investment opportunity. Carrytrade: Borrow japanese yen at 1% and put them in Indian high interest bonds when the exchange rate is at 52 to the usd?!

Ill make sure i go see the elephants if i end up going :shock:

 

[OTMPut]

Tats a pretty big currency fluctuations. If it fluctuates often and usually between 42-52 is sounds like and investment opportunity. Carrytrade: Borrow japanese yen at 1% and put them in Indian high interest bonds when the exchange rate is at 52 to the usd?!

Ill make sure i go see the elephants if i end up going :shock:

i dont see it going below 50 anytime soon. inflation is super high and rates are likely to remain high. the central bank has a bit of autonomy and they care more about inflation.

carry trade could be risky. with the sovereign situation that is in europe and elsewhere, you could have more depreciation if there is a panic flight to safety.

 

[sureshs]

i guess its not too unfair that relatively wealthy foreigners pay a little more, but i wonder if superrich indians pay more too!?

Usually no, unless it is a bargaining thing. The law allows foreigners to be charged more by the government, and I guess private companies use that. For example, fees at sightseeing places are sometimes different for foreigners. Usually, it is enforced by "appearance" not formal proof as there are no resources to process documents at that place, etc. Charging different rates is widely prevalent in upscale hotels where the dollar/pound/euro rate works out to be higher when compared after currency adjustment. It is not the local rate divided by 52. And certain places require foreigners to pay in dollars if booking ahead. It was encouraged since the time there was a foreign exchange crisis and the country was desperately seeking dollars to purchase oil.

 

[peoplespeace]

Usually no, unless it is a bargaining thing. The law allows foreigners to be charged more by the government, and I guess private companies use that. For example, fees at sightseeing places are sometimes different for foreigners. Usually, it is enforced by "appearance" not formal proof as there are no resources to process documents at that place, etc. Charging different rates is widely prevalent in upscale hotels where the dollar/pound/euro rate works out to be higher when compared after currency adjustment. It is not the local rate divided by 52. And certain places require foreigners to pay in dollars if booking ahead. It was encouraged since the time there was a foreign exchange crisis and the country was desperately seeking dollars to purchase oil.

tx for the background!

 

[Sreeram]

I am looking for a hitting partner in Chennai. Currently a member of Krishnan tennis. I live in OMR road. Please email me at desitcs@gmail.com if you need to hit in Chennai. I am a high 3.5 to low 4.0 player in US.