Fingers crossed for Singapore tennis to come ‘alive’ with WTA Championships
It’s a rare opportunity to catch the likes of tennis megastars Maria Sharapova and Li Na live in action.
But for Singapore’s competitive tennis scene, the coming of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Championships in October represents an even rarer chance for the sport to finally make some progress.
Both young local female players and their governing Singapore Tennis Association (STA) are hoping for a long-lasting impact from having the world’s best eight women grace the Indoor Stadium over the next five years.
“The WTA will inspire a lot of young kids,” said Angela Lim, 16. “If they’re there watching, seeing it happen, maybe they’ll feel they can achieve (the same) and work towards that.”
“Tennis will be more alive in Singapore,” added the Singapore Sports School student, who trains under the STA’s full-time tennis programme (FTTP).
Along with fellow FTTP and Sports School teammates Ashley Yim and Maxine Ng, both 13, Lim is looking forward to coaching clinics hosted by the tennis luminaries when the WTA swings into town from 17 to 26 October.
And a Singapore girl or two may even occupy some of the limelight then. Under the WTA’s “Future Stars” programme in partnership with Sport Singapore, Southeast Asian countries will hold their own under-14 and under-16 “Road to Singapore” tournaments this year, leading to a showcase of the region’s top junior female players during the WTA Championships itself.
Planting seeds
In January, Sport Singapore chief Lim Teck Yin expressed hope that the WTA Championships would “catalyse tennis development” in the country, and simultaneously called on STA to grasp the golden opportunity ahead of the 2015 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Singapore.
STA deputy general manager Wilson Tay told Yahoo that the association has been getting more interest from sponsors since the WTA announcement was made.
For instance, the WTA Championships’ presenting sponsor, homegrown developer SC Global, has come onboard with STA in a five-year deal worth S$300,000, according to Tay. Primary schools will form the focus of the agreement as STA seeks to increase its talent base of players.
“We hope local companies will look more into the promotion of tennis within Singapore,” Tay added. “So after (WTA) leaves, we’ll have a platform to build on, and hopefully attract more events for the younger generation… to build up the whole infrastructure for Singapore.”
Another important priority for STA is to obtain a “home” court – in the form of a national centre for tennis, next to the Singapore Sports Hub. Despite being a national sports body, the association has to jostle with the general public to book facilities for its events or training sessions, Tay explained.
As for the SEA Games, he believes the 2017 edition to be a more realistic date for medal opportunities, given the relative age of Singapore’s crop of players – a point which the younger likes of Yim and Ng fully agreed on.
That's not to say that Singapore has no chance of a podium finish on home soil next year, said Tay, pointing to US-based Stefanie Tan as the nation's best hope. The 21-year-old's career-high International Tennis Federation (ITF) ranking of 172 is the greatest position attained by a Singaporean female thus far.
Stoking passions
Meanwhile, Singapore’s budding female players are showing signs of improvement under the auspices of the FTTP and a flexible academic schedule at the Sports School that sees them train about twice a day, six days a week.
It is an intensity that seems to have paid off, so far. Lim snagged a doubles bronze at the Southeast Asian Tennis Championships late last year, while the combined team of Yim, Ng and Charmaine Seah won second-place at an ITF World Junior Under-14 qualifying tournament in February. The doubles pair of Yim and Ng also finished runners-up at an Asian Tennis Federation U-14 event in Penang earlier this month.
They have individual ambitions too, with Lim and Ng eager to take their game to greater heights at American colleges and Yim driven by the desire to play at the greatest tennis event there is – Wimbledon.
“I have this little goal,” the latter added, sheepishly. “When I’m 18, I’ll get an ITF ranking of 200-plus.”
Yim currently sits at 1,799 and has five years to make the jump – that’s also five years of the prestigious WTA Championships living, breathing and influencing her hometown of Singapore. The girl is allowed to dream.
Catch Singapore's tennis players in action at the STA Intermediate Singles & Doubles II 2014 from 26 April - 4 May 2014 and the STA Open Singles & Doubles III 2014 from 10 - 18 May 2014. The Singapore Ballkids Programme is still open for registration till 3 May 2014. For more information, please visit: http://www.singtennis.org.sg/
