Special Correspondent

Even three years back, when coaches from Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata would come to the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association facility, they would have a standard comment to make: You have so many courts, but you hardly produce a player who can do well even at the National level? It hurt then but there was no running away from reality. If one picked up quarter-finalists in any of the draw sheets in any National ranking event at random, there would be a profusion of players from Mumbai, Pune and the south. So much so, if one had to actually say there are a few names from North India, it had to be kids from Chandigarh Times seem to be changing. To say that the coaching culture in the Capital has changed would be untrue. And it would also be untrue to say that the coaches deserve all the credit for Delhi kids doing well. Come on, it's a big deal to have Delhi's Divij Sharan and Sanaa Bhambri in the men and women's semi-finals of the DSCL Open. One doesn't think even Vishaal Uppal had done so well on home courts despite the fact he has been in the Davis Cup squad on his doubles strength. Divij's rise to fame has been through his long stint on the ITF circuit this year. He has been playing in all kinds of places on the globe and till one got to see him this week, one was not sure how much he had really evolved. Yes, he is a left-hander like Sanaa, but unlike the Delhi girl, he had never done so well at home. Both train at the same centre in the DDA Siri Fort Sports Complex where Aditya Sachdeva has been sharing his experiences as coach. By his own admission, Divij is playing incredible singles as a result of his doubles conquests abroad. And for someone who still has a year left in the junior circuit, there is no reason why he cannot do well abroad next year. The doubting Thomasses would be quick to point out Divij has done well in a depleted field. Be sure, all such talk is loose, since Divij¡¦s brand of aggressive tennis at the net is not very common. Just like Divij, Sanaa has also been travelling oversas a lot. She was part of the Indian Grand Slam team which toured Europe. Sanaa did not achieve outstanding results in singles, but did well in doubles with Sania Mirza as they were there in the semifinals at the French Open. Sanaa has more years to develop. What she needs right now is someone who can tell her she has to whack the ball harder. That surely will see her go places as her consistency level is quite good. To be sure, the pressure to perform will be much more on Divij and Sanaa by the time the next DSCL Open is held in the Capital. But, then, good players can never complain about pressure. After all, it's part of the game.