Indian tennis thrives within the USA because of a strong collegiate program. A number of Grand Slam champion Mahesh Bhupathi who honed his sport for 2 years there and Somdev Devvarman, who received the NCAA singles title twice earlier than leaping again into the professional circuit with distinction, are the shining examples in current occasions.
Nonetheless, it’s not that frequent to seek out an Indian tennis coach coming into the Corridor of Fame within the USA, the best way the previous nationwide champion Bidyut Goswami did within the Columbia Athletics Corridor of Fame not too long ago, after serving the College for 37 years.
“I really feel very blessed to have had a profession that I all the time was very captivated with”, mentioned Bidyut, when contacted by Sportstar.
He gave full credit score to his dad and mom for letting him select a career which was “not that prudent” within the Seventies.
“My father, a choose within the Supreme Court docket, gave his blessings by saying, ‘Do the perfect you possibly can in no matter you wish to do’. I used to be very lucky to be the Head coach at Columbia College with none earlier expertise”, recalled Bidyut, who hails from Assam.
“I’ve to thank the committee and the Athletic Director for having the braveness to rent an inexperienced coach. And after 37 years, and with the induction into the Columbia College’s Athletics Corridor of Fame, I really feel, I justified that call and their religion”, mentioned Bidyut, who graduated from the St. Xavier’s Faculty in Kolkata in 1973.
He additionally gave full credit score to the “superb gamers” who helped the College win a number of Ivy titles and likewise received him the “Nationwide Coach of the yr award in all of collegiate tennis within the USA” in his last yr in 2019.
“As I mentioned in my speech, I used to be joyful to just accept the induction on behalf of all my gamers ranging from 1982. All my gamers graduated with excessive honors and have turn out to be a vital a part of society. This contains loads of nice Indian juniors who performed for me”, he mentioned.
He does hold monitor of Indian tennis and is “all the time very proud once they do nicely”. He watches the Indian gamers on the US Open frequently and “root them on”.
Bidyut was visiting India frequently “until covid occurred”.
“All my siblings and kinfolk are in India. Just a few of the juniors who I grew up with are very near the place I stay. One among them, former nationwide champion Gaurav Misra additionally labored with me at Columbia, and that was the cherry on the cake. I do communicate with loads of former tennis gamers dwelling in India and different components of the world”, he mentioned.
A participant and coach from a unique period, who was loyal to Columbia College, Bidyut did repay their religion in a convincing style with a sterling profession of tennis improvement.