Aussie tennis coach Todd Clark lauds Khelo India games

JAIPUR: Australian coach Todd Clark, a prominent figure in Indian tennis and a strong supporter of the Khelo India initiative, believes the Khelo India Games will greatly benefit India long-term by providing teenagers opportunities to engage in sports.

Arriving in India in 2008, Clark has made the country his home, deeply immersing himself in its culture. He currently serves as Director of Tennis at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha and is mentoring players at the Khelo India University Games Rajasthan 2025.

“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.

With over 30 years of coaching experience, Clark praised the Government of India for the Khelo India initiative. “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 arriving, Clark worked at the Harvest Tennis Academy in Punjab and coached in Gujarat and Haryana. He was part of the Indian team when Vaishnavi Adkar from Pune won a bronze in women’s singles at the 2025 Summer World University Games—India’s first-ever women’s tennis medal at the event and only the second overall, following Nandan Bal’s silver in 1979.

Clark sees significant talent in Indian tennis but stresses better talent identification and counseling. “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. For example, you need to be a certain height to 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. (IANS)

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