Indian professional tennis player, Ankita Raina thinks there should be more tournaments of levels ITF 25 and above to be held in India. So that Indian players can build up on their rankings without the hassle of traveling abroad. And they will also become more competitive at WTA 250 levels.
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"Playing a WTA 250 tournament at home inspires players to play at the highest level. Any big sports event in India has that impact," Ankita said.
Ankita, knocked out in the first round at the Chennai Open, said it was an inspirational moment to play her first WTA 250 event in her home country. But she thinks India needs more ITF events so that an Indian can be a future prospect of winning a title of such stature.
Since Bangalore Open 2008, which was won by Serena Williams, no major tournament has been held here. So, the WTA 250 Chennai Open this year was the biggest women's tennis event.
"But we need more ITF 25, ITF 60 level tournaments. There should be around 16 such events in the annual calendar. That will help our players to build up their rankings to get around the top 300. After which they can have a chance to play the WTAs. It will not only cut the cost of travelling for the players but travel fatigue, playing with home conditions makes a difference." Ankita Raina said.
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India has organized five ITF events this year. And out of them, only one event was ITK 25 level or higher in Navi Mumbai. Last year, there were two ITF 25K events, both in Pune.
"The level of competition is similar between WTA 250 and ITFs above 25. It's going to be helpful to have WTA events consistently but to be able to play those events we require the other ITF events regularly. That will give us the confidence required to perform at the WTA 250 level." She added.