The founders of the Tennis Premier League (TPL), Kunal Thakkur and Mrunal Jain, have launched a talent hunt scheme to offer Rs.75,000 worth of scholarship, to 72 deserving kids in all, in eight cities.
The scheme has been named Race to Gold, as it aims to power the young talent to Olympic heights. Players across the country have to get the TPL App to join the race for scholarship.
The players have to start competing in district level tournaments and keep improving their ranking. The highest ranked player on the TPL App from each district will receive yearly scholarship of tennis equipment and time at the TPL.
The TPL has launched the scheme in collaboration with the tennis associations of Maharashtra, Delhi and Gujarat.
“It is an impactful vision. It signifies a purposeful step towards grassroots development. I am proud to support such initiatives that shape the future of the sport”, said Leander Paes, the Atlanta Olympics medalist and multiple Grand Slam champion.
The scholarship of Rs.75,000 will be given in the form of an advanced racquet, kit bag, shoes, jackets, strings, personalised jerseys, over grips, caps, wrist bands, socks, etc. The selected players will also get two days of hospitality at the TPL venue, along with an accompanying person.
They will get a session with a tennis legend, felicitation on live television, and an opportunity to play a TPL format match against top players.
The selection for the scheme will be done in Mumbai, Pune, Gujarat, Delhi, Punjab, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Boys and girls in the age groups of 10, 12 and 14 will be eligible. Also, there will be men’s and women’s sections.
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“This scheme will help in the growth of the game”, said the country’s No.1 player, Sumit Nagal.
“At TPL, we believe in nurturing talent from the grassroots level. Race to Gold is our commitment to empower young tennis players by providing them the resources and exposure, to help them shine on the big stage”, said Kunal Thakkur.
“The initiative will serve as a gateway for young talent to enter the world of professional tennis”, said Mrunal Jain.
The secretary of MSLTA, Sunder Iyer, was equally happy with the fresh initiative.
“Over the last five years, TPL has played a crucial role in providing opportunities, exposure and support to Indian players by placing them in the forefront for the promotion of the game”, Sunder Iyer said
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