'We were the best team in Asia at one point. Today, we are barely in the reckoning for the Davis Cup.'
'Players now, especially this decade, lack perseverance.'
With the French Open on, a persistent image associated with the Grand Slam for two decades has been of Rafael Nadal.
The 14-time French Open's champions on-field duels with Roger Federer and later with Novak Djokovic have been etched in the memories of people who have viewed the sport.
Last year, the man, who competed at the Roland Garros 115 times, made his final appearance on the clay court, losing to Alexander Zverev in a three-set thriller in the first round.
Nadal went on to retire from the sport a few months later.
Nadal's shadow looms not only over the Grand Slam he won the most but over the people he trains.
Earlier this year, images circulated online of Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi training at the Radal Nadal Academy in Spain under Nadal's tutelage.
Revathi entered the Mumbai Open 2025 as a wildcard but walked out as India's next tennis sensation.
The 15 year old grabbed the tennis world's attention during the WTA 125 tournament, where she defied all expectations by reaching the semi-final -- after starting from the qualifying rounds -- in what was just her fifth professional event.
Going into the tournament unranked, Maaya upset much more established names like World No. 225 Iryna Shymanovich and Japan's World No. 285 Mei Yamaguchi outright.
This feat made Maaya the first player born in 2009 or after to reach the top four in a main-draw event of such calibre.
She will also be ranked within the top 700 after her historic run, making her the youngest Indian to earn a WTA ranking.
Despite talk of her bright future, Indian tennis has been in a slump for some time now.
Even Sumit Nagal, ranked World No. 169, and the lone Indian in contention for a singles spot, was knocked out of the second round of French Open qualifiers.
Vijay Amritraj, the best singles player to have come out of India, says the passion for the game is one of the things that have led to where India is in tennis.
"We were the best team in Asia at one point. Today, we are barely in the reckoning for the Davis Cup. Earlier, we used to rest only when we got days off. Of course, times were very different back then. But players now, especially this decade, lack that perseverance," he said.
The slump in the sport in India in recent years has come with the fall in endorsements tennis stars have got in recent times.
Out of the current crop of Indian tennis players, Nagal is the only player endorsing a company (Bank of Baroda).
Compare this to yesteryear stars when the likes of Mahesh Bhupathi, Leander Paes, and Sania Mirza had a substantial brand presence, sometimes on a par with cricketers, who pocket a lion's share of the endorsements from the sports industry.
"The main reason (for the fall in brand value) is that cricket commands a far larger following in India than any other sport. The popularity translates into greater media coverage for cricketers. An exception like Neeraj Chopra stands out because he represents something exceptionally rare in India -- an Olympic gold," said Samit Sinha, founder and managing partner, Alchemist Brand Consulting.
A number of experts cite different reasons for the decline in the sport and, consequently, the fewer endorsements these players have.
Sunder Iyer, secretary, Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association, said: "If you are a member of some club, you can play tennis. Otherwise there aren't many public facilities for the same. Even the equipment is expensive. The number of events that young players participate in, despite increasing, remains low," he said.
One such event is the Tennis Premier League. Founded in 2018 by Kunal Thakkur and Mrunal Jain, the league has gone from strength to strength in recent times, attracting the likes of Bhupathi, Mirza, and Paes to participate as brand ambassadors.
Amritraj, who reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and US Open multiple times in the 1970s, says brands look for a different perspective while looking for endorsements.
"In the 1970s, Arthur Ashe, Anand Amritraj (his brother), and I were the only players of colour in the US Open. So brands lapped up the opportunity to give us endorsements. Since there were no TV ads back then, the ads I featured in used to appear before movies started."
In such cases, government support becomes an important aspect to spot and groom local talent. Thakkur feels access can spur the number of youngsters taking to the sport.
Harish Bijoor, a brand expert, says it's difficult to change the mindset of people to a sport they love.
"To play tennis, you need your investment to be that much deeper. And therefore, a sport you can play very easily becomes a sport that you will love."
For most Indians, the Coimbatore-born Revathi, training under Nadal, is already holding out hopes for a brighter future the sport holds for these players, and, of course, brands.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff
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