NATO bombings helped produce quality tennis players: Serbian coach
A leading Serbian coach has said the three-month bombardment of the erstwhile Yugoslavia by the NATO forces had a hand in producing first-class tennis players.
|Last Updated: Mar 04, 2014, 02:31 PM IST|Source: IANS
Nairobi: A leading Serbian coach has said the three-month bombardment of the erstwhile Yugoslavia by the NATO forces had a hand in producing first-class tennis players.
Dusan Milojkovic, President of Serbia Coaching Committee, told reporters here Monday that Serbians went through very hard time March-June 1999 during which they were also under economic sanctions.
"During the period, children did not go to school. Players engaged in a lot of tennis and a lot of tournaments were organised to forget the problems," Milojkovic told Xinhua here Monday on the occasion of the World Tennis Day.
The coach, who is also the General Secretary of Tennis Association in the province of Vojvodina, said it was during that period that world-ranked players like current World No. 2 Novak Djokovich, Janko Tipsarevic, Viktor Troicki, Dusan Lajovic and Filip Krajinovic moulded their play.
Among the female players to come up are former Wimbledon champion and World No.1 Jelena Jankovic; 2008 World No.1 Ana Ivanovic; Bojana Jovanovski and Vesna Dolonch.
The NATO bombing was part of a military operation against Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. It led to the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo and put an end to the war - and also split the country.
"To be No. 1 in any sport in the world, one has to go through much suffering and pain, and the commitment of the players as well as the support of their parents supplemented their efforts," Milojkovic said.
"The players went through a lot of anguish during which they had to borrow money to finance their travels to play in tournaments."
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) set aside March 3 to promote tennis and increase participation among players around the globe.
In its second edition, having been established last year, it was Kenya`s first time to join the occasion, which was marked in 74 cities including London, New York and Hong Kong, where games featured current and former professional players, and enhanced by activities generated by the ITF`s national associations across the globe.
Tennis Kenya president Paurvi Rawal said it was very exciting to see so many young people gathered to celebrate tennis.
"Other sports don`t have youth programmes for the youngsters, but I am overjoyed that in tennis we have put in place structures for the little ones."
A representative from the ITF, Susie Dyrbus said the association was working hard to demystify tennis as an elitist game.
"Anybody can play tennis anywhere since there is no need to have perfect facilities. However, if one desires to be No. 1 the world over, they need resources," Dyrbus said.
Milojkovic said Kenya has great potential for the game judging from the interest showed by the young ones and the facilities available to play the game.
"I Serbia, we have over 3200 players out of a population of seven million, but here in Kenya you have a larger base. However, because there are no local heroes in tennis like there are in athletics, Kenya needs to up the stakes in tennis," the coach said.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.