India's national tennis tournament Fenesta Open in 2020 was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. It returned this time but in a controlled environment.
Niki Poonacha and Digvijay Pratap Singh in the men's final of the 2021 Fenesta Open at DLTA Complex, Delhi. Image: Tanuj Lakhina/Firstpost
The DLTA complex in the capital looks deserted for the final stages of the Fenesta Open. This is an unusual form for a national tennis tournament, which is used to draw a large number of fans, including juniors, for the best players in the country. But these are not regular times where hundreds of people came to the 2019 edition. These are times of pandemic which means the 2020 edition was canceled and was held with less capacity.
Players are required to wear masks as soon as they leave the court. Access is constrained with a "restricted entry" board that only allows players and coaching staff beyond a point. There are also no ball kids aimed at keeping unvaccinated individuals away. The line judges do not come until the quarter-final stage of the tournament, with Nikki Poonacha and Zeel Desai eventually winning the men's and women's singles categories. The tournament was not held for the junior (under-14, under-16 and under-18) categories.
“The talks did not stop after the 25th edition (2019) and there was a regular review of the situation last year as well. It was important for us to have the championship but also the safety of the players, look at the on-ground situation, which was the reason we had to miss last year,” said Aman Pannu, organizing secretary.
“And this year, we decided to keep assessing the situation, even two weeks before the (tournament) was to go ahead. So, we decided to keep men and women only because they have been vaccinated, there is a comfort level. And this is a national tournament, you will have people coming from all over India. AITA (All India Tennis Association), DLTA (Delhi Lawn Tennis Association) also had a lot of COVID protocols and this has given us a lot of comfort. On our part, we were sure that the protocol should be followed for T. During the last week, the viewership has come down, but we have combined it with an increase in social media (activity),” she said.
Tournament referee Supreet Kadvigere sheds more light on the behind the scenes work to prepare for the nationals. Despite everyone being fully vaccinated before the start of the championship, it involved an RT-PCR test and only then were players allowed to sign in.
Kadavigere revealed that there used to be three qualified referees to conduct the draw, to ensure smooth conduct of the event, which this time was reduced to one. The number of officials - line judges and chair umpires - will be around 40 who have been cut this time.
Pandemic results in low attendance at Fenesta Open 2021 stricter COVID protocols
A sign at the DLTA Complex during the 2021 Fenesta Open in Delhi. Image: Tanuj Lakhina/Firstpost
“Things in 2019 were very different than they are today. Usually on the day of the final, you would have 300-400 people watching, juniors watching, but unfortunately that didn't happen. AITA, DLTA and Fenesta have put together this tournament as a team following the government norms of a sporting event during a pandemic. We had set up a booth at the entrance to verify the RT-PCR tests and then they were cleared for re-examination by the referee's office,” said Kadvigere.
Pannu admitted that there are apprehensions about hosting the tournament this year. But she insisted that it only strengthens the resolve to have protocols and ensure their adherence.
DLTA treasurer Aditya Khanna admitted it was a challenge, but the non-contact nature of the game helped push. “During these circumstances, it is challenging to host a tournament of this structure. Players, staff and everyone are following the protocol. The world of tennis has begun and with tennis being a non-contact sport it is still less complicated. We are also organizing international tournaments and they have strict rules. So it is not difficult to replicate it for the Indian tournament."
The tennis calendar continues with ITF events in Bengaluru, Indore, New Delhi, Gurugram, Solapur, Pune and Navi Mumbai. The smooth conduct of the National Tennis Tournament will encourage others.
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