Tennis needs to be promoted in Madurai: Ferrer's ex-coach

It was a rare opportunity for budding tennis players from Madurai and other parts of India to meet Spanish coach Javier Piles, who is camping in Madurai for a week. Javier Piles trained currently 8th seeded David Ferrer for 15 years until 2013. He is now the tennis director at Club Tennis Picasent in Valencia, Spain. An initiative called 'Train game and shine' started by the global sports networking organisation Tie-upp got Javier Piles to Madurai to bring out the best from local talent and facilitate international exposure for promising players.
In a candid interview with Karishma Ravindran, Javier Piles talks about tennis in India.
What made you chose Madurai as a city to train young tennis players?
It is my fifth time in India. And when it comes to the Madurai, it's one of the parts of India where tennis needs to be promoted.
According to you, what is the future of tennis in India?
Tennis as a sport is not easy in any country if the coaches are not with the players until their tournament. Long term mentoring is a must for a tennis player to grow.
What are the qualities that you found in these young players and are there promising players in India?
Many of them have enough talent to become great players, but apart from talent they must put in more effort by working hard everyday. For the players whom I am training here, I would just say, 'It's time to wake up'.
Also, how can a young tennis player balance his academics and also play his sport well?
In the beginning, it's not a problem until players are 16 years old. After that if the players become promising, you have to choose to study online or to become professional tennis players.
Are there adequate facilities for tennis players here? If not, what is lacking and on what areas can it be improved?
Well, what I have seen in India, I think they need more facilities because if you compare with other countries, there is a big difference in the tennis sport. Although training the players is a must.
What are your future plans in order to keep long-term contact with Indian Tennis?
This is the first time I am doing this, we will see how we can help and what kind of programmes we can make because I believe in helping young tennis players by training them.