Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Divij Sharan and Vijay Sundar Prasanth competed in doubles in a tournament. The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) in Roehampton organised the tournament, giving the players a taste of how COVID has turned sports.

Divij and Vijay, who has stayed in UK, drove from Manchester and London to Roehampton respectively for the matches. Divij mentioned that driving is easier and safer, due to the lack of interaction with anyone.

A new normal for sports

The duo lost the first match. It was played on a short-set format, in the super tie-break. Divij and Vijay won the next two matches. They finished fifth out of the eight teams in total.

“It was more about getting on court and competing. I haven’t had a chance to play matches in the last four months. First round was pretty rusty, but got better with each match,” said Divij. “They have decided that there is little risk of transmission through balls, but you can’t speak to your partner with the balls in front of your face, to avoid breathing into them.  Also, since they were washing the courts after every session, we got limited practice.”

Only one set of balls was used during the match. The players were all tested for COVID-19 on Friday. The results were received on Saturday, and the matches were played on Sunday. Instead of shaking hands, the players tapped racquets. They were also made to wear mask when they were indoors.

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