This is not a blog about tennis guys. I dont have the heart to even think about going out there and attempting it.

I could not find any other picture except these but it does not really matter - the story is not in the face but in the minds and the hearts. I am going to borrow a line without remorse from pop culture and put it out (with license) for all of us to ponder over

" these are the heroes we need but not the heroes we deserve!! When will we be able to live in a India we can proudly stand next to them (and not behind) and declare that they are the heroes that we deserve and not the heroes that we need???"

As i write this i dont have the answer but i also know that i cannot look to anyone else for the answer - it has to come from within. So i dont know what i am going to do tomorrow or day after but for sure i am going to do something which will allow me the pleasure of answering that question.

In gratitude today
In memorium tomorrow
& in promise .....................

AATP

The Glittering Awards Night

Awards presented by the chief guest Ms.Bijal Mehta and Mrs.Dipti Kotak and helped along by Lil Miss Moppet Kotak.

Parting Shots

The Dream: Playing the night session at Flushing Meadows against Agassi (the man I’ve looked up to all my tennis life) in front of a packed crowd on Arthur Ashe stadium where Steffi is Mrs. Haresh and not Mrs. Andre
Reality: Playing in the sultry afternoon at MSLTA in front of 8 spectators against the man I’ve HAD to look up to all my life (at 6 feet, he is nearly 2 inches taller to me, you see).

50 years from now when I still hope to be playing like our very own Mr. Shakti Parmar (old man, pony tail, court no. 5), I’m sure to look back on the weekend that just went by for more reasons than one. In Jon Wertheim tradition, here are my parting shots on the inaugural AATP Championship –

• If ever proof was needed that finding something you’re passionate about makes life more meaningful, this was it. The drive and energy of organizing our own tournament, the joy of participating and the camaraderie and bonding amongst all of us beats a desk-job at a bank hands down any day
• Any fears that the result of the all-sibling final would be orchestrated by Father Ramchandani were laid to rest as both brothers battled hard for a win. Family sources say that Father was rooting for his first-born to win
• The shot of the tournament was Bharat’s awesome backhand passing shot against Ayaz (which his opponent described as the best passing shot he’s ever seen from across the net); never mind that I didn’t see it but let’s put it down for the record books anyway
• Siddharth Singh Rathore’s controversial decision to forfeit his last round-robin match had everyone up in arms. Word has it that after closed-door cyber conversations with the organizers, he will be back for the next tournament after all
• The round robin encounter between Bharat and Jonty was probably the most intriguing early round match-up; not in the least for the much publicized bathroom break
• Ayaz’s fantastic comeback from 0-5 down to beat Jonty 7-5 clinched him a semi-final spot. Let’s keep the insinuations about ANKLEGATE aside for now, and appreciate the effort
• Props to Haresh for a commendable effort using a makeshift racket in his come back against Rizwan from 1-5 down to win 7-5; And no, we wont be taking a stand on the chick tennis vs. chick attitude sidestory either
• In a bizzare twist, Siddharth Sharma turned up on all 3 days of the tournament and warmed up Haresh for his semi and final but made no official comment as to why he did not participate. Agents Moulder and Scully have been drafted in to solve this X-File
• Jonty Kandpal’s gutsy play and terrific attitude. Nothing more to add but do read this link
• Very few people at this level would re-schedule their international travel, re-join work one day late; and also give up smoking in order to build stamina for this tournament. Rizwan Sumar will sorely be missed at the second edition.
• Even fewer people would give up a spot on Nach Baliye. Anil Goel deserves a special mention
• Word is spreading about the AATP pretty quick. Interested participants for the next edition include a famous South Mumbai fertility specialist and not-so-famous physical trainer of a very famous South Mumbai industrialist. Don’t be surprised if you read about the AATP in the Sunday Times in the coming weeks
• Our respectable Mr. Bhatt could do with more than a few tips from the pro-ams. When word got around that they were in the cafeteria till 11 pm on opening night, Bhatt sounded out Ashutosh for a personal chat in the bathroom. We’re not sure of what transpired inside but I think we might hear more about this in the future
• We’ve all seen how competition at its highest level can come between even the best of friends. Relieved to see all friendships survive the test this weekend, even though I had my doubts several times
• Tennis-crazy Mrs. Nalini Goel made it for the evening sessions but chose to stay away for the battle of her sons on Saturday morning. For the record Ashutosh beat Anil 6-1 and kept the flag of older brothers flying high for a while
• Word on the street is that a certain Ms. Bijal, often seen in the stands this weekend, is finally managing to push Ashutosh into the holy bond of matrimony. February is when I’ve been told will be the wedding. Ladbrokes is currently giving odds on where the honeymoon will be. MSLTA is the odds-on favorite
• Watch out for 9 month old Rohan Kandpal. Talent scouts are reportedly queuing up outside the Kandpal residence to sign him up. However, I have been informed that all his endorsements and media activities will be handled by the AATP itself
• The identity of the mysterious philanthropist who donated the cool bags for the two finalists has been revealed. His name is Mr. Jay Sharma (no relation to Siddharth), works for Pantaloon Retail and is a close friend of Haresh
• Special note of thanks to Ashutosh for spearheading this initiative. The event wouldn’t be complete without the trophies, certificates, the FREE Baskin Robbins vouchers and, of course, his fantastic sense of humor and spirit
• Missed in all the acknowledgements was some well-deserved appreciation for Mangesh & gang for all the paid Gatorade, Water and Sandwiches
• And on a final note, let’s thank those Brits for introducing this wonderful sport to the world. God Bless the Queen and all of us!! See u guys next time around!!

The pics are out

AATP Logo and Certificate to winners

Semi Finals 18th Oct Sat evening session - Update

SF 1
Bharat v Rizwan
Bharat def Rizwan 9-6

SF 1
Haresh v Ayaz
Haresh def Ayaz 9-1
Finals Line Up
Bharat 'Barry' Ramchandani v/s Haresh 'Harry' Ramchandani
4:00pm start at MSLTA Court 1.

No Monty, only Jonty!!

And then there were two!! Full-time brothers and part-time players Bharat and Haresh kept their unbeaten record intact defeating Rizwan and Ayaz respectively to advance to the finals of the inaugral AATP Championship at MSLTA, Mumbai. However, it was 33 year old Kailash Kandpal (a.k.a. Jonty) who turned out to be the true revelation of the opening rounds.
Kandpal, who recently graduated from the Table Tennis arena to the tennis lawn courts, came within one point of reaching the semi-finals earlier this afternoon with a display of gutsy tennis and proof that size DOES NOT matter - not on the tennis court atleast. After a convincing 6-2 win over Ashutosh in the opeing round of Group Agassi, Jonty faced-off against Bharat in a David vs Goliath battle. And he nearly pulled off what would have been a stunning upset, only losing 5-7 in a tight exciting contest that even piqued the interest of the players playing on the adjacent court.
Playing Ayaz with a semi-final berth on the line, Jonty raced to a 5-0 lead; only to see Ayaz come back and win 7 games on the trot, saving a match point en route and crashing Jonty's semi final dreams by the end of it.
When he's not rocking Dalal Street with his equity tips or playing Daddy cool with his 9 month old son Rohan, Jonty goes about beating his opponents with a game thats a throwback to an earlier time in tennis. Nimble-footed and big-hearted, Jonty's game is based on a simple plan - get EVERYTHING back. And get back everything he does!! Just ask Bharat!! Jonty's Dementieva-like serve, energizer bunny-like speed and Chang-like ability to retrieve had Bharat scrambling all around the court and STRAIGHT to the bathroom at one stage.
Built on a small-frame that helps him glide around the court like a butterfly, Jonty's game and attitude won him several fans this week, this writer included. Rest assued, come next tournament, he'll have one more person rooting for him from the stands. UNLESS he happens to be playing someone that goes by the name of Ramchandani :)

Match Reports - 18th Oct Day Session

Group Agassi
Bharat v Jonty - Bharat def Jonty 7-5
Jonty v Ayaz - Ayaz def Jonty 7-5
Bharat v Ashu No Result (match called off with Bharat up 2-0 due to time limitation)

Group Steffi
Haresh v Anil - Haresh def Anil 6-1
Rizwan v Haresh - Haresh def Rizwan 7-5
Anil v Sid - Sid defaults Anil gains a victory tho he probably would have won anyway!
Final standings
Group Agassi
Bharat tops the group with 5 points followed by Ayaz with 4 points
Group Steffi
Haresh tops the group with 6 points followed by Rizwan with 4 points

SF Line up
SF 1 Bharat v Rizwan
SF 2 Haresh v Ayaz
The action begins at 7:00 pm Saturday evening - both semis on simultaneously.
Be there guys

Match Reports - 17th Oct night session

Match score updates only - analysis to follow by our regular expert analysts A Vasi and H R'chandani

Group Agassi
Bharat v Ayaz - Bharat def Ayaz 6-3
Ashu v Jonty - Jonty def Ashu 6-2
Ashu v Ayaz - Ayaz def Ashu 6-4

Group Steffi
Haresh v Sid - Haresh def Sid 6-3
Rizwan v Anil - Rizwan def Anil 6-2
Rizwan v Sid - Rizwan def Sid 6-1

As it appears Rizwan from Group Steffi appears to be the first one to have almost booked his SF slot if not the standing.
Group Agassi is still wide open with Ashu having a slim outside chance of making it if all the cards fall way out of line.

Keep on watching this space......


Ashutosh v Jonty (Group Agassi) - Jonty def Ashu 6-2

The End of the Beginning.......

This is the final post before we set out to light a trail over paths untravelled, in the bargain hoping to achieve immortality, acclaim and riches ...............hmmmm went overboard did I?? Ok lets just stick to the right to be called the best of the rest ( --- at last count 8)
I am going to exhort everyone to play in the best spirits but only to an extent - do not leave your raquet throwing skills, the dirty stares, the self recriminations, your acute grasp of the English vocabulary much of which has now been lost, etc, etc etc -- back at home
Secondly pleaseleave the participation theory to the amateurs, for us "amateur pros" its only the winning which counts.
Registration desk opens at 7:00 pm (organizers have been given a free pass to report at 7:30 ---- perks of the job) the opening ceremony kicks off at 7:40 and the game begins at 8:00 pm sharp today evening.
I dont know who is arranging a camera but before battle begins i would like to have each of us photgraphed in full battle regalia so would really appreciate if everyone made himself available well in time kitted out.
See y all

The All Bets Are Off/On post

The All Bets Are Off/On post
Ayaz V has prepared an extremely simple and interesting betting process which will be opened to all members and sundry who fancy a slight punt. Icompletely optional and all in good fun (albeit with a few bucks to keep it interesting).
Here's how it works
A pot would be thrown open before each match with a fixed buy in which has already been decided - one cannot go higher or lower than the buy-in figures given below
Buy In's
Round Robin Matches - Rs.25 per punter
Semi Final Matches - Rs.50 per punter
Final - Rs.100 per punter
An illustration of how it works,
Eg: Ayaz Vasi V Anil Goel Round Robin
Before the match any of the remaining 6 players or their guests can buy into the pot by paying a sum of Rs.25 and entering their favored player on a secret ballot paper which will be put into a sealed box. In a departure from norms even the 2 players will be allowed to buy into the pot with the minor condition that the players themselves, in this case Ayaz and Anil will onlly be allowed to bet on themselves - they will not be entitled to a secret ballot. At the end of the match the organizers would open the box and check the ballots. All those who punted on the winner will be entitled to an equal share of the spoils
This is as simple as it gets. The idea is to keep interests alive without causing heartburn. The ballot has been kept secret so that players do not get influenced or put off by others selections. Who knows you might have someone cheering lustily for one player during the match only to discover that his punt was actually on the other guy.
I would welcome ideas from all and sundry to make this more interesting but only for the next edition. For now this is sealed and will kick in today evening. No one is compelled to punt but our request is that if you have bought in to the punt than you go along with the same and do not end up questioning the system. Once you have made your choice and placed your punt you cannot ask for changes or back out.
The rules are simple and i hope that we might have some interesting sidelights apart from the highlights on court.

The draws have been picked (or re-picked), the courts booked, the rackets re-strung and the battle lines have been drawn. While Federer, Nadal and co. battle it out in the indoor courts of Madrid this weekend, their famous South Mumbai counterparts will gather tomorrow evening for the kick off of the 1st AATP championship on the hallowed turfs of MSLTA.

The October heat and the questionable fitness levels of the players, coupled with lack of appropriate technology to implement an On-Court Temperature rule, has led to a Friday evening start to accommodate player wishes to play under the lights as far as possible. Never before has a tournament so minuscule in size (the players raised their own funds to pay for the court and balls) captured the imagination of a group like this.

The cast of players only adds to the intrigue and drama of what organizers Ashutosh & Haresh hope will turn out to be a half fledged tour for tennis amateurs. Group 1 (or the 30+ group) is led by tournament organizer Ashutosh Goel, new daddy Jonty Kandpal, boom-boom Bharat Ramchandani and Flushing Meadow-returned Ayaz Vasi.
Group 2 (we’ll call this the 30- group) is led by co-organizer Haresh Ramchandani (at 29, the second youngest player in the draw), on-the-comeback-trail Anil Goel, Dubai returning Rizwan Sumar and Daman’s packaging tycoon Siddharth Singh Rathore (for now the youngest player in the draw until Jonty’s son makes his debut next year).

The field promises to throw up exciting tennis and even more exciting drama that Ekta Kapoor could use for her next Balaji soap. And up for grabs for the winner are vouchers from Baskin Robbins and the million dollar feeling of rubbing into everyone else’s face that they’re the best!!!

42 hrs away..

its 1:55 at nite and i cant sleep. no, im not jet lagged anymore (ok maybe just a little bit), its the thought that our tennis tournament is just a few dozen hours away thats keeping me awake.

i've already gone through 4 iterations of strategies to use against each player, worked out the SWOT analysis of my game (and everyone elses), read extracts from brad gilberts 'winning ugly' and jones and dorens 'game set and match' ; i've even contemplated hiring a citibank recovery agent to go pay haresh a visit..

is everyone else this gung-ho abt this thing? this, an 8 man, friendly tournament? no ball boys, no line judges, no prize money, no bhav, no nothing... this?? really?

hell YEAH!!!

small it may be, but its a start. and i truely believe its the start of something very special. who knows, years from now, we may even look back and say "i was there, i was a part of it when it all began...”

and till then, we're playing a serious tournament. a grandslam it may not be, but for us, i think its bigger. we're gonna play some kick-ass tennis and bask in the joy this wonderful game brings to us all.

i just hope that none of us lose sight of the fact that this is supposed to be fun, its supposed to be an event that brings together fellow tennis lovers to experience the joys and heartaches of playing in a 'proper' tournament. sure its a serious event, sure we all will want to win, sure we're gonna play our hearts out! we're certainly playing for pride, but damn, lets have a blast while doing it!!!

bring your best games and your best smiles to the court, and may we all enjoy the satisfaction of a game well played.

play on!

Here you go guys - what you have all been waiting for and perhaps "dreading" ;)

GROUP A

1. Siddarth Singh Rathore
3. Jonty Kandpal
5. Rizwan Sumar
7. Bharat Ramchandani

GROUP B

2. Anil Goel
4. Ashutosh Goel
6. Ayaz Vasi
7. Haresh Ramchandani

This is how the matches would be played

TIME COURT 1 COURT 2

10:15 - 10:45 Sid v/s Jonty Rizwan v Bharat
10:45 - 11:15 Anil v Ashu Ayaz v Haresh
11:15 - 11:45 Sid v Rizwan Jonty v Bharat
11:45 - 12:15 Anil v Ayaz Ashu v Haresh
12:15 - 12:45 Sid v Bharat Jonty v Rizwan
12:45 - 1:15 Anil v Haresh Ashu v Ayaz

SEMI FINALS

SF 1 -- Winner of Group A vs Runner up Group B

SF 2 - Winner Group B v/s Runner up Group A

FINALS

Winner of SF 1 vs Winner of SF 2

Some rule additions since last time

• In case 2 or more players are tied on the same no. of wins after the RR league then winning % in games played in all sets will be counted
• In case a player concedes a match mid way the opponent will be granted a victory + the game in which the person defaulted (irrespective of game score at that point in time) will be awarded to the winning player
• In case a player concedes a match before the start of the set, the opponent will be granted a victory only but he will not get a winning differential (this is as per ATP rules)
• If a player's racquet strings break in mid match he can opt to use a spare or borrow from another player. He will not be allowed to stop the match. However he may request a slight rescheduling of the next match in order to be able to restring his weapon
  

We are working on a points award system for this tournament which will enable us to arrive at a basic ranking system - this will help us identify seedings when we play next on the tour.

As usual this is a first, so all suggestions/recommendations/advise is welcome --- criticism is not!!!!

Cheers

PS --- ill open the betting counter a week before the match - Haresh will release odds and everyone else and his uncle are welcome to take a punt (REAL MEN DONT PLAY, THEY PAY - so keep the cash handy guys - this is for real)

Black Rock Tour of Wannabe Champions Edition 1

Hi Guys (Gals also welcome),

This is a formal announcement of the 1st Edition of a tournament we hope to host more often and with greater participation.

Haresh and i sat down and decided to form our own tour and to start with we have nicknamed this tour the - AATP Tour ie. "Association of Amateur Tennis Professionals". We are bestowing honorary membership to everyone marked in this first mail of the group.

The very first stop on this tour is scheduled to be a hard court (do we have any other options) tournament to be held at MSLTA on 18th and 19th of October 2008. The tournament is planned on the lines of the ATP World Masters ie 2 groups of 4 players each to be selected thru an open draw will play a round robin league each. The top two finishers of each group will proceed to the semi finals and the from thereon the finals.

As of now we see 7 confirmed entries (hopefully all of us will be in town and available for this prestigious event) with 1 spot to go to either a wild card or an invitee of one of the AATP members.

Entrants (please confirm your availability) - as this is the first edition we will be charging each entrant a small entry fee of Rs.650. Hopefully the

Haresh R; Bharat R; Siddharth Singh; Siddharth Sharma; Ayaz Vasi ; Jonty Kandpal ; Ashutosh Goel.

The programme will work like this (subject to availability of courts which should not be too much of a problem).

Day 1 (18th Oct 2008)

Reporting: 9:30 am

Event begins 10:00 am Event Concludes 2: pm

2 courts will be booked for 4 hours straight - 1 for each group.

Round Robin matches will be played in a Single Set format with a tiebreak

5 minutes for warm up for each match.

We will have an option of an evening session in case the weather becomes difficult to handle (read rain/sunshine)

Day 2 (19th Oct 2008) Day Session

Reporting: 8 am

Event begins 8:30 am Event concludes 11 am

1 court will be booked for 3 hours straight - both semi finals to be held 1 after th eother.

Semi Final matches will be played in a Single Set 9 Game format with a tie break

10 minutes for warm up for each match.

Day 2 (19th Oct 2008) Evening Session

Reporting Time: 6:30 pm

Event begins 7:00 pm Event Concludes 9:00pm

1 court will be booked for 2 hours under lights - Finals to be held

Final will be played as a best of 3 sets (First 2 sets = conventional with tie break / 3rd Set - Super Set tie break - 1st to 10 with a diff of 2)

10 minutes for warm up.

Standard Rules and Regulations

Umpiring will be conducted by the group members not participating.

Lines to be called by players only with umpires decision being final in case of a challenge

Breaks between games as per ATP regulations only.

Breaks between games to be of 1 min only.

All players requested to wear shorts and tees + non marking shoes.

Balls will be provided for Match play

Balls to be picked up by players or by non playing participants ie no ball boys

Refreshments/Snacks to be organized by each participant

Extra practice can be organized by players separately but match courts should not be used till completion of day's events

All players have to compulsorily attend all the events for its duration to keep the festivities alive

Please do not be late to avoid inconvenience to other players. Special request for the Round Robin League can be accomodated if given advance notice

All other rules to be made up as we go on

All of you are requested to bring as many family and friends as possible to add color and fest to this event. I am very hopeful that following this first edition we will be able to expand the scope and scale of this in it's 2nd edition (for which we will not wait 1 year - more likely a quarter at worst) and have many more players participating.

Sponsors

We do not have any official sponsors as of now. However it is confirmed that Baskin Robbins will offer complimentary ice creams to the participants and will also provide Gift Vouchers to the winner and runner up.

All you guys - can you bring in some other short of fun sponsorships???? I am keeping this open for now......................

Also am looking for one more confirmed entry to complete the draw. I really do not want to use a bye for one group (that would be sad)

Any suggestions/ideas/brainwaves to make this better/bigger/more exciting are welcome.

Please please confirm your participation right away this week - if so ill go ahead and book the courts next week itself to avoid inconvenienceing our highly professional MSLTA administrators later on.

THERE YOU GO - that was long (i deserve a bye just for writing this)!!!!!

By the way - please save this id on your individual comps/email clients/blackberrys/iphones/

etc - this is now the official id of the AATP