Top Spin (Nov 20)

Malay Mail, Nov 20, 2008 

Many people tend to question the benefits of having world class tennis stars play exhibition matches in Malaysia.

Well there are many really. They are unaware such events are brought in by private companies which foot the bill. When the Tourism Ministry steps in, they are paying for the live coverage and the publicity which are viewed and read by millions worldwide.

The Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia will be paid a sanction fee and the organisers of the Showdown of Champions KL 2008 even threw in the playing surface which was laid at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday.

Tennis fans still talk of how American James Blake forced world No 2 Roger Federer to run all over the court or how legendary player John McEnroe threw his racquet when he failed to hit a proper shot against arch rival and good friend Bjorn Borg.

They not only remember the comical side of the affair but are also mesmerised and motivated with the power and skills shown by these stars. Even more exciting will be the presence of Russian star Maria Sharapova in next year’s event.

Sharapova played in front of a sold-out crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium last year and many believe her arrival in the country would also create a similar frenzy.

Indirectly, this causes a craze among tennis fans and newbies, encouraging more people to take up the sport. Tennis equipment have been selling well lately, just like how badminton racquets and equipment enjoyed good sales during the World Championships and after Datuk Lee Chong Wei won the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.

To give our locals a chance to watch their idols in action is a good enough excuse to have such an interesting event. To top it all, 20 of our youngsters had a memorable opportunity to learn a thing or two from Blake at the tennis court in Mandarin Oriental on Wednesday.

“It was great playing with them. There were times when they made me run and it was good,” said Blake.

“It’s difficult to say as I only got between 20 and 30 minutes with them and I feel with a bit more of work, they should be going places.”

Perhaps Blake is being polite to his hosts as the country is still struggling to mould the right talents for the scene. Or maybe Blake truly believes that with more exposure our youngsters could make the grade.

After all, most of the juniors have shown a lot of potential in their respective categories in the region and only time will tell if that could be translated into bigger success at a higher level in the future.

In the meantime, let’s capitalise on the current tennis craze and hope more children pick up the sport - in a bid to create a healthier society and perhaps create a wider pool of talents.