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Brian Swartz · 04-22-2015, 05:23 PM

Sri Lanka Tennis History

Sri Lanka stands alone in it's ineptitude, hence the reason for me selecting them as my nation to experiment with. For 10 years, from 1998-2007, they participated in Level 5 of the World Team Cup, the lowest level in the competition. Mostly they lost in the group stage, but four times they made it to the quarterfinals, including 2007. Each time they lost 3-2, one match short of the semis. All of the semifinalists qualify for a playoff to reach the next level up, so being one match short of that four times and never making it was particularly heartbreaking.

In 2008, due to a lack of interest from some of the world's most irrelevant tennis nations, Level 5 was disbanded. Admission to Level 4 for inactive teams was now based on the ranking of their top players as well as the nations' achievement history. For 30 years, Sri Lanka was never once invited.

Eight years ago in 2039, I entered the game with the goal of training up Sri Lanka's best. The first major goal was obviously to get back in the World Team Cup, and this last year I finally achieved it.

Current Players

I dropped a couple of players over the first couple years, but the following 'stable' of four players has been with me for at least four and some longer.

Anil Manohar -- At 35 years old, he's the elder statesman of the group. Manohar developed above-average skills, but was never more than average athletically even during his peak and is presently ranked 442nd. He had a career high of 238th a few years ago, but never made it beyond the level of a high futures/low challenger level player. Semi-pro, if you will. He was chosen as the player I could most quickly get to be a decent trainer. A dedicated trainer can improve a younger one a little faster than generic practice matches can, and the cutoff is age 40. Manohar has a few years yet left to increase his skills(the more skilled, the better a trainer he will become) and then he'll be 'put out to pasture' for use in his true value.

Anil Mehul -- A little short of age 22, Mehul is my top player, ranked 80th in the world. He hung around the edge of the Top 100 for a couple years, but has multiple Top 50 wins this year and is moving up again. He'll probably make the Top 30 eventually but I don't know if he'll go any higher than that. The lack of a trainer and some relatively minor mistakes I've made in training didn't help of course, but he has the talent and dedication. Athletically he's pretty good but not great, there are more gifted players out there but not that many.

Amrik Chittoor -- I was fortunate to snag Chittoor about a year after Mehul was created. He's not much of an athlete but every bit Mehul's equal other than that in talent and commitment. He's nearly 21 now, and has just cracked the Top 100 at #99.

Girish Girsh -- Girsh, 18, is just finishing up the best junior career I've ever had a player have. He'll be in Mehul's class eventually, or at least close to it. He's 7th in juniors with 10 titles at that level, and will be making the jump to pro tour next year.

04-22-2015, 05:23 PM	#3
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Sri Lanka Tennis History Sri Lanka stands alone in it's ineptitude, hence the reason for me selecting them as my nation to experiment with. For 10 years, from 1998-2007, they participated in Level 5 of the World Team Cup, the lowest level in the competition. Mostly they lost in the group stage, but four times they made it to the quarterfinals, including 2007. Each time they lost 3-2, one match short of the semis. All of the semifinalists qualify for a playoff to reach the next level up, so being one match short of that four times and never making it was particularly heartbreaking. In 2008, due to a lack of interest from some of the world's most irrelevant tennis nations, Level 5 was disbanded. Admission to Level 4 for inactive teams was now based on the ranking of their top players as well as the nations' achievement history. For 30 years, Sri Lanka was never once invited. Eight years ago in 2039, I entered the game with the goal of training up Sri Lanka's best. The first major goal was obviously to get back in the World Team Cup, and this last year I finally achieved it. Current Players I dropped a couple of players over the first couple years, but the following 'stable' of four players has been with me for at least four and some longer. Anil Manohar -- At 35 years old, he's the elder statesman of the group. Manohar developed above-average skills, but was never more than average athletically even during his peak and is presently ranked 442nd. He had a career high of 238th a few years ago, but never made it beyond the level of a high futures/low challenger level player. Semi-pro, if you will. He was chosen as the player I could most quickly get to be a decent trainer. A dedicated trainer can improve a younger one a little faster than generic practice matches can, and the cutoff is age 40. Manohar has a few years yet left to increase his skills(the more skilled, the better a trainer he will become) and then he'll be 'put out to pasture' for use in his true value. Anil Mehul -- A little short of age 22, Mehul is my top player, ranked 80th in the world. He hung around the edge of the Top 100 for a couple years, but has multiple Top 50 wins this year and is moving up again. He'll probably make the Top 30 eventually but I don't know if he'll go any higher than that. The lack of a trainer and some relatively minor mistakes I've made in training didn't help of course, but he has the talent and dedication. Athletically he's pretty good but not great, there are more gifted players out there but not that many. Amrik Chittoor -- I was fortunate to snag Chittoor about a year after Mehul was created. He's not much of an athlete but every bit Mehul's equal other than that in talent and commitment. He's nearly 21 now, and has just cracked the Top 100 at #99. Girish Girsh -- Girsh, 18, is just finishing up the best junior career I've ever had a player have. He'll be in Mehul's class eventually, or at least close to it. He's 7th in juniors with 10 titles at that level, and will be making the jump to pro tour next year.