There is passion, there is that drive, and there surely talent in abundance. This is what Carlos Gomez made of in his few visits to India, which included a two-hour ‘tennis clinic’ last Sunday at New Delhi R.K Khanna Stadium on the final day of the 2023 Pro Tennis League. However, lack of a methodical approach towards players, right from their formative years is where the nation has collectively faltered in unearthing top singles players, he feels. Speaking exclusively to Hindustan Times Digital, Gomez, whose most notable achievement was mentoring Marc Lopez to an Olympic gold with the legendary Rafael Nadal, outlined his plans to help improve tennis in India. His plans include reaching out to the coaches, stressing on the need for a personalised plan for each player and perhaps an academy in the country with the help of the great Leander Paes.
Here are excerpts…
Q) How does it feel coming back to India?
I was here last year. I was in Mumbai, in Kolkata and Pune. I was immensely impressed with so many players and kids excited about tennis and also the potential that there is in India. The country has a good future in tennis. There are many things they can probably do to improve their level because they have the passion. That’s why I’m here to try to show our methodology in Europe, in Barcelona. I have my academy, Gomez Academy in Barcelona, with great players and some promising players. And why I’m thinking of helping the Indian players here maybe… let’s see how.
Yes, it feels great to come back to India. I love the food (smiles), and the culture. I visited the Taj Mahal yesterday and a lot of other monuments as well.
Q) Talk about your association with Pro Tennis League and how did this plan of a tennis clinic come about?
Manoj Khanna is the father of one of my best players in Barcelona, Shivam, and he is here with me to help me find the way to reach more people and possibly more kids. And I’m very happy to do it. They called me and they proposed this camp here in India. I did it in other countries as well and I’m very happy to come back and see how the kids have improved.
Q) What was your impression of the culture of tennis in India?
I feel that they are passionate about tennis. But they need to know how it works because I think while Indian coaches are very good, they probably don’t have the experience of being on the tour. It’s normal because they don’t play on the biggest stages, I mean most of them. And that’s also very important. I think that’s why I’m here to see and try to put provide help to these great coaches who passionately spend a lot of hours training the kids. But probably they need to learn a bit more tools for their betterment.
Q) Through the course of your coaching career, you have come about some great Indian players in doubles – Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza. However, where India have been struggling lately is in the singles department. Could you talk about that – how things can improve and what changes India can make?
They need to know how to practice and rest well. I think nutrition is extremely important. They also need to practice for more hours, with more quality and try and understand the game more. I think in India the system or plan must to be not the same for every player. Everyone has his own set of skills and hence need to have his own plan.
Q) You have extensively been involved in tennis in Spain. What is it that Spain has been doing right that they have been getting top-level players on a consistent basis whether in doubles or singles?
Yes (the aforementioned factors separate India from a country like Spain), because back at home, we work right from the beginning, in building the base of the player with a set plan. which comprises of a lot of things that in India they don’t know or they feel strange about. It’s actually more easy when they are juniors. We tend to go step by step. They have the ITF junior rankings then, followed by the Futures and the Challengers, the level of which is very strong in Europe. So the players, at the end, need to improve quickly. They also have a lot of people to take inspiration from and see what they need to do. That’s also a big thing that we have in Spain and maybe it is important in making a difference.
Q) Your most successful coaching stint was with Marc Lopez. Could you talk about that partnership?
I worked with Marc for nine years, during which we achieved a lot of things. When he had started, he was a singles player. Then he incurred a big injury after which he didn’t have enough money to travel. That is when I proposed to play just doubles. He first told me that I’m crazy because he didn’t want to play just doubles and that he would rather retire and be a coach or dop some other things. I then told him that he played at an unbelievable level of tennis and that every top player would want to play with him for sure. The problem in the beginning was of course rankings, but I told him that we will quickly start winning. We first talked with Rafa (Nadal), and he helped us play in three tournaments. They won Doha and Indian Wells. Marc quickly was into the top 50 and then it was easier for us to get into tournaments was more easy to get in. We then played with Nicolás Almagro. We played for a long time with Marcel Granollers, with whom we reached one final in US Open, won the Rome Masters and also the ATP World Tour Finals in London in 2012. Marc then rose to top three in the world. After that we played with Feliciano Lopez, but before that we also played with Rafa in the Rio Olympics where we achieved the gold medal.
In singles, I worked with Tommy Robredo, who had reached the top 20 and won against Roger Federer in 2013 US Open in the fourth round. It was a huge personal good achievement for me as well (smiles). I also worked with Jaume Munar, who was number three in the world junior for almost three years. In the WTA circuit, I worked with players like Flavia Penetta or Anna Chakvetadze, former world No. 5.
To be frank, I’m very happy at the end of the day, because at 41 I feel I have achieved a lot of things. And now all I want to work patiently with more young players.
Q) The social-media page of your academy has a picture of you with Alcaraz. Could you talk about that. What was your impression of him back then?
I met him when he was 10 or 11 years old. He came to my club to play and I watched him and I saw something special. And later I signed him for my team where I was the captain. Then one day, I don’t know why, I didn’t put his name in and rather included some of the top players. On the next day, I asked myself why not pick a young player because Alcaraz was practicing very well and I felt he could do it. I talked with him and I said whether he wanted to play your first professional match tomorrow and he agreed. He won 6-1, 6-0 the next day and left all the players surprised because they were all top-50 players. Everyone was on the ground watching him. It was something great.
Q) So for you it wasn’t that surprising when he beat Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon earlier this year?
No that was indeed surprising. Winning the Wimbledon, beating Djokovic in the final, in five sets. Of course, it was surprising. But his achievements so far have haven’t surprised me.
Q) You talked about your desire to help Indian tennis prosper. So any plans of opening an academy in India?
Of course I want to. It is actually one of my goals. I want to meet some important people and I’m totally open to hear some plans. Leander Paes is a good friend of mine. His daughter actually plays at my academy in Barcelona. So I’ll be very happy if Leander and I can do something together.