With Tallon Greekpoor, Botic van de Zandschulp and Arantxa Rus, the Netherlands begins a new tennis season with three hundred of the best players. Luxury, but for how long? The serious decline in indoor tennis courts in the Netherlands may affect the general level of tennis in our country.
“The disappearance of the halls is a drama for the future of Dutch tennis,” says Martin van der Brugghen, Kiki Bertens’ former coach, among others.
Peter Lucassen (coach of French tennis star Gaël Monfils) and Tjerk Bogtstra (former captain of the Dutch Davis Cup team) make similar statements. KNLTB director Erik Poel says the “critical limit” of 800 indoor spaces is on the horizon.
Fully booked or too expensive
There are currently 900 indoor courts in the Netherlands, compared to 1,400 in 2013. Since indoor tennis courts are almost always owned by entrepreneurs, they are increasingly converted into padel courts, but also into bowling alleys or play havens for children. Goals that bring in more money per square foot.
“I understand these entrepreneurs very well, but this is bad for tennis,” says Lucassen. Van de Zandschulp’s former coach says many young players do not train often enough because they have to travel too far for an indoor court or the venue is full or too expensive.
There is always room for the best players and top talent to train at the Tennis Association’s National Tennis Center (NTC) in Amstelveen.
“In the Netherlands the climate does not allow playing outside all year round. We saw this this winter. It’s not Spain here,” says Van der Brugghen.
hard court
This results in young tennis players not spending enough hours on the court. Getting used to indoor hard courts, where most professional-level games are played, is less important.
“A good tennis player plays on all surfaces,” believes Bogtstra. “Playing on an elite tennis-related surface is important later in life, but not for younger children,” Lucassen said.
The three coaches also agreed on all-weather pitches that can be played outdoors all year round. Smash courts and artificial turf are great for recreational players, but the general consensus is that they have little in common with elite tennis. KNLTB also shares this view.
Indoor training is very important
Bogtstra believes that indoor training in the Netherlands can be crucial for beginner tennis players’ technique. For example, she says, it is easier to provide training in a closed area in bad weather. No need to deal with wet or swollen balls at the gym.
However, he wants to say that he does not want to upset his students and that it is good to train in any weather. “But from a technical point of view, sometimes it is better to play indoors.”
Van der Brugghen hopes the NTC will not focus too quickly on boys and girls who are recognized as talented at a young age. He believes a broader base is needed. “Some talents eventually don’t pay off. And vice versa: Tallon Greek Spoor was never a big promise, and Kiki was put to the test once. You still have a good career.”
Bogtstra adds that it’s also about growth. “You must ensure that children who cannot or barely play tennis properly in the winter do not decide to play another sport at a young age.”
living room plan
This is why KNLTB also accepts the necessity of investing in indoor halls. The club created a “hall plan.” Poel explains: “We rent twenty halls with various spaces for a few weeks in the winter. “Various youth tournaments, national ranking tournaments are held, and teacher training is provided here.”
Van der Brugghen believes the KNLTB should appoint someone to represent the interests of indoor tennis against padel, a rapidly growing popular sport that also falls under the KNLTB.
Poel: “Tennis is even more strongly represented here. Twenty permanent employees focus on padel, eighty on tennis. And everyone has goals.”
“In addition, we now have someone responsible for indoor tennis capacity and we have launched a dedicated ‘Tennis and Padel Room’ program to achieve better infrastructure for indoor and outdoor tennis and padel.”
The director of KNLTB believes that a broader perspective should be adopted. It refers to politics. “No matter what, more space needs to be made available for sports in our country. “This is a call not only to the new government but also to the municipalities.”
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
