Fenesta Open announces ₹11 lakh Player Development Scholarship as 31st edition gets underway
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) The organisers of the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship have announced a ₹11 lakh Player Development Scholarship to further strengthen the tournament’s long-standing commitment to nurturing tennis talent in India.
In its expanded form, the scholarship will be awarded to winners and runners-up across the Men’s, Women’s, U-18, U-16 and U-14 singles categories this year. The scholarship will be over and above the prize money awarded at the Championship and is intended to help players invest in their continued development.
The Fenesta Open already offers a prize pool of over ₹21.55 lakh, in addition to a kit allowance for players in the junior categories. The new ₹11 lakh Player Development Scholarship represents an additional commitment towards supporting players beyond their performance at the Championship.
The scholarship can be utilised towards areas that directly contribute to a player’s development, including professional coaching, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, and tennis equipment and kit.
Under the new structure, winners in the Men’s, Women’s, Boys U-18 and Girls U-18 singles categories will receive a scholarship of ₹1.05 lakh each, while runners-up will receive ₹60,000 each. Winners in the Boys and Girls U-16 and U-14 singles categories will receive a scholarship of ₹70,000 each, while runners-up will receive ₹40,000 each.
Ajay Shriram, Chairman & Senior Managing Director, DCM Shriram Ltd., said, “The Fenesta Open has been closely associated with the growth of Indian tennis for many years. Our endeavour has always been to provide players with a strong national platform to compete and demonstrate their potential. With this additional scholarship, we are taking that commitment a step further by supporting players beyond the Championship and contributing to their continued development. We believe sustained support at the right stage can make a meaningful difference to a player’s sporting journey.”
Vikram Shriram, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, DCM Shriram Ltd., said, “For a talented player, development does not end with a tournament. It requires continued access to good coaching, physical conditioning, physiotherapy and the right equipment. This scholarship has been designed with these practical requirements in mind. By making this support available in addition to the Championship prize money, we hope to enable promising players to invest further in their game and progress towards higher levels of competitive tennis.”
DCM Shriram’s association with Indian tennis spans more than three decades, beginning with the organisation of an Open Tennis Championship for Delhi State in 1992. The company has organised the National Hardcourt Tennis Championship annually since 1998. Today, the Fenesta Open is one of the country’s largest domestic tennis championships, bringing together men, women, boys and girls across the U-18, U-16 and U-14 categories on a national platform.
Over the years, the tournament has seen several leading Indian players compete on its courts, including Rohan Bopanna, Somdev Devvarman, Yuki Bhambri and Sania Mirza, among others.
The enhanced Player Development Scholarship marks the next step in this journey, extending the Fenesta Open’s role beyond providing a competitive platform to supporting the long-term development of Indian tennis talent.
Organised under the aegis of the All India Tennis Association and Delhi Lawn Tennis Association, the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship is supported by DCM Shriram Ltd. and held annually. The Championship provides a national competitive platform for players across senior and junior categories and has played an important role in identifying and encouraging emerging Indian tennis talent.
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