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2/8/11 3:23 PM | Johan Lindahl
Swiss tennis looks to build on the momentum of the country's greatest-ever player.
Roger Federer remains a potent threat in tennis and expects to do so for some years to come. But while he does, the Swiss federation is hoping to lay the groundwork for future tennis stars in a tiny country which has also produced Martina Hingis and Marc Rosset among other top players.
Construction is going on through winter at a new national tennis academy, set to be finished within a year. The $6.35 million project will get government funding for a quarter of the cost, with the new facility to supplement Swiss juniors and others who now train at Biel in the west of the country.
The for-profit academy - annual cost around $36,000 per year - is looked upon as an investment. “It’s a new departure,” federation boss Rene Stammbach told the swissinfo agency. “The youngsters will be able to live and train under the same roof. Currently they’re losing a couple of hours a day getting from their homes to the training centre.
"Russia and France develop ideas on PowerPoint for hundreds of players. There’s no point doing that in Switzerland," he added. "We have at most three or four players capable of belonging to the elite.
"We must concentrate on them and give them the best opportunities to develop, the aim is to respond to the specific needs of each player.” Coming on board as a coach is former player and current television commentator Heinz Günthardt, who last worked privately with Ana Ivanovic and guided Steffi Graf in the 1990s. For his part, Federer will headline a national effort to make August 27 national tennis day in the Helvetic confederation.
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