National Tennis Centre shuts shop, talent pipeline left high and dry

National Tennis Centre in New Delhi, aimed at nurturing tennis talent in India, closes abruptly after four years of operation.

Exactly four years after it was launched with the aim of producing a pipeline of talent to replenish the barren terrain of singles tennis in India, the National Tennis Centre (NTC) in New Delhi has ceased operations as on December 31, 2024.

The programme was headed by Zeeshan Ali who had moved from Bengaluru lock, stock and barrel. Zeeshan was India’s Davis Cup coach from 2013 and had resigned in August last year.

Sources told The Hindu that the move to close the NTC came as a shock and it was conveyed to those working there, Zeeshan included, via a terse email, without specifying any reasons. Calls to Anil Dhupar, the then secretary-general of the AITA, went unanswered.

It is to be noted that the administration of the AITA is currently in limbo, with the elections held on September 28 yet to be ratified by the Delhi High Court. A petition filed by former players Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja alleging violation of the Sports Code by the AITA is pending.

The decision to close the NTC was taken at the Annual General Meeting held on September 28. The NTC was set up to give the talented players, who would have otherwise found costs prohibitive, a chance to excel.

It provided accommodation, coaches, fitness trainers and other services to athletes from around the country. There was also a pay-and-play component, but at subsidised rates.

Digvijay Pratap Singh, who made his Davis Cup debut against Morocco in Lucknow in 2023, and 21-year-old Karan Singh, who has been named for the tie against Togo in February, came through the NTC.