'These Games Give Teenagers Purpose' - Aussie tennis coach Todd Clark lauds Khelo India initiative

Todd Clark has been coaching in India since 2008.

Todd Clark is a known name on the Indian tennis circuit. The Australian coach came to India in 2008 and has since practically lived here, embracing the country and its culture down to the ground and the Khelo India initiative.

Clark is presently working for the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha as a Director of Tennis and is guiding his trainees at the Khelo India University Games Rajasthan 2025 in Jaipur.

Clark is a big fan of the Khelo India initiative and believes that in the long run, it is going to benefit India immensely. “I think the Khelo India games are fantastic to have happened to this country. There is nothing more troublesome than a bored teenager.

What these games have done all over the country is that they have given these teens opportunities to pick up sports and excel at them and eventually make a career. Sports also inculcate character,” Clark told SAI Media.

Clark, who has been a coach for more than 30 years now, also praised the Government of India for coming up with the idea of Khelo India.

“The current Central Government is quite keen on the idea of a fit India. These games are going to promote health and wellness among the youth. Furthermore, the infrastructure will get a boost. I am quite impressed with the facilities that I have seen in Jaipur so far,” he said.

After coming to India, Clark worked for the Harvest Tennis Academy in Punjab. He has since worked in Gujarat and Haryana.

He was with the Indian contingent when Vaishnavi Adkar of Pune won a women’s singles bronze medal in the 2025 Summer World University Games. It was India’s first-ever women’s tennis medal at the event.

In fact, it was India’s second-ever medal at the event, the previous one (a silver) coming via Nandan Bal way back in 1979.

Clark believes India has a lot of talent and potential in tennis. “I think India has a lot of talent. Though I believe talent identification could be better. Counselling kids on what sport to pick could also be better.

Also Read: Khelo India University Games 2025: Live streaming, TV channel, where & how to watch?

For example, you need to be a certain height ṭo be a good tennis player, 6 feet or thereabouts, so if you are, say 5’4”, your chances of being a top-class tennis player are very low, so you should pick up another sport that suits you. So, it’s important players are advised in the right manner,” he said.

Clark also stressed the importance of providing much more financial help to players who are transitioning from junior to senior levels. “I think there are a lot of opportunities for junior players in India. But there are not many at the senior level.

So, they need to travel to other countries to get their opportunities which can be a very expensive affair. Tennis is an expensive sport.

This is something that needs to be addressed. This is one of the main reasons why Indian players, after making waves at the junior level, fail to keep up the momentum at the senior level,” he said.

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