Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy on the anvil

Pune, Nov 11 (UNI) With the ambition of producing future world champions, tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi today announced plans to start an academy here.

Bhupathi and his doubles partner Leander Paes have decided to bury the hachet in the larger interest of the game and the country, before the Asian games to be held at Doha, in Qatar.

Bhupati, who was the guest of honour at the finals of the NECC- ITF womens' tennis tournament at the famed Deccan Gymkhana told sportscribes here, ''I will start my 'Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy'' in Pune in the near future. Pune has been on my priority list and very soon I will start the proposed academy.'' Elaborating further Bhupathi said ''I have made three visits to the city earlier and after the initial scouting will decide the venue in consultation with the top brass of tennis brains in the city.'' Spelling out his aim Bhupathi said his focus would be on producing champions from the next generation. The purpose of the cademy would be to cater to the needs of the next generation of tennis players, and to help them in making a mark in world tennis, he asserted.

Though the All India Tennis Association(AITA) has been doing it's bit, the country still does not have the pre-requisite infrastructural facilities to nurture top class talents,'' he lamented.

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