Quit or continue to rot? This is the question, which has put Chinmay Pradhan, the No 1 tennis player of Odisha in a quandary. Despite being the first and only player to win an AITA men`s title and despite reaching the highest AITA career ranking of 32, he is struggling to sustain his playing career and make mark at the international circuit due to lack of sponsorship.

``Lack of support forcing tennis players in Odisha quit the sport even before completing their school education. I am the only one, still playing with the hope to become a professional tennis player and achieve something at the international circuit. But without sponsorship I have been finding it tough to survive, let alone moving forward,`` lamented Pradhan, the flag-bearer of Gurukul Tennis Academy (GTA), at a press conference here today.

According Pradhan`s coach and GTA founder Santosh Mallik, in order to achieve modest success at the international circuit, one needs to play 25 to 30 ITF tournaments in a year. But during the past two years, his ward has managed only half a dozen and that too at his own expense.

``We are not asking for moon. We just need travel expense to play outside the country. But neither the state government nor any corporate house has come forward to foot the bill,`` said Mallik, an AITA Level-II coach.

According to the duo, in order to move up in the ATP rankings, playing abroad is a must. That is because not more than half a dozen ITF tournaments are staged in India in a year. And to compete abroad, a player needs to move with a team, comprising his coach, trainer and physio. This involves lot of expenses and requires sponsorship.

``I am ready to manage with just my coach. But for a two-member team, the minimum travel cost to play an ITF tournament beyond India will be around Rs 1 lakh. I am yet to play outside the country due to lack of sponsorship,`` disclosed the 24-year-old hard-working player from Bhubaneswar.

Though Pradhan comes from a well-to-do family, he finds is impossible to spend around Rs 30 lakh a year to sustain his playing career. ``Getting infrastructure facility was a major hurdle earlier. We overcame that by setting up GTA, which has three synthetic courts. For that my parents and my coach spent a lot of money. I can`t expect them to keep on spending without getting desired results,`` explained the player.

``Meanwhile, I have completed my Post Graduation in Mass Communication and my AITA ranking has come down to 47. I feel it is time for me to decide whether I continue to play or quit. But if I quit, budding tennis players of the state will think twice before picking up a racket,`` added Pradhan.

``Chinmay needs sponsorship not only to play abroad, but also to prove his potential. Sponsor him for a minimum of five tournaments, give him a reasonable target to achieve. If he fails, stop sponsoring him. But give him a chance,`` signed off Mallik.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: Chinmay Pradhan (Left) and his coach Santosh Mallik at the press conference in Bhubaneswar on Sept 19, 2014.