Massive grooming key to Dutch tennis success<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A massive program to groom juniors is the key to
\npreparing world-class players, says Ruurd de Boer, president of
\nthe Dutch tennis association (KNLTB).<\/p>\n
De Boer said yesterday the Netherlands will never lack tennis
\nplayers, noting that 140,000 youngsters under 18 are now swinging
\nrackets on tennis courts across the country.<\/p>\n
\"We are grooming about 3,000 teenagers in a special junior
\ntraining camp under the guidance of KNLTB,\" de Boer told The
\nJakarta Post upon his arrival here yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"We are expecting them to fill the shoes of Richard Krajicek
\nand the like in not a very long time,\" de Boer added.<\/p>\n
De Boer arrived here for the Indonesia-Netherlands junior
\ntennis matches to sign a mutual agreement between KNLTB and the
\nIndonesian tennis association (Pelti) today. Sarwono
\nKusumaatmadja will represent Pelti during the MOU signing.<\/p>\n
Holland has been a tennis powerhouse since the 1970s era of
\nTom Okker, with four players now ranked among the world's top 30.<\/p>\n
Krajicek is 14th in the latest ATP Tour computer, followed by
\nJacco Eltingh at 20th, Paul Haarhuis 25th and Jan Siemerink 28th.
\nFrench Open champions Eltingh and Haarhuis have teamed up to top
\nthe world doubles rankings.<\/p>\n
Tennis is the second most popular sport after soccer in the
\ncountry of 14 million.<\/p>\n
De Boer said that KNLTB has organized a number of tournaments
\nand training camps for four different age groups to bolster
\ntennis development among youths.<\/p>\n
Children aged between five and six years old are also a
\npotential target of KNLTB. A special Mini Tennis event
\naccommodates little children.<\/p>\n
\"We need at least US$10 million a year to fund our talent
\nscouting program,\" de Boer said, adding that KNLTB receives
\nfinancial aid from big private firms such as the Silver Kruis
\ninsurance company and sports equipment manufacturer Lotto.<\/p>\n
De Boer brought eight boys and eight girls, who now top the
\nDutch under-16 division, for the two-day tennis event at the
\nHilton tennis courts. The young guns include Stefan Aarts, who is
\nranked 10th in Europe.<\/p>\n
\"We expect to learn a lot from these matches, especially non-
\ntechnical experiences. Our players have never played in a such a
\ntropical, very humid terrain,\" de Boer said.<\/p>\n
The weekend's matches will start a series of bilateral junior
\ntennis meets, with Indonesia and the Netherlands taking turns in
\nhosting the matches. They will use Davis Cup and Federation Cup
\nformats.<\/p>\n
Aside from the annual junior friendly matches, the MOU to be
\nsigned today also says that Pelti will facilitate Dutch junior
\nplayers during their Asian tours and vice-versa. (aks\/amd)<\/p>",
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