Winless in Seattle: Saints again fall to NFC foe
January 16, 2014
Alice Robinson Lorthridge
January 21, 2014
When most locals think of the Tri-parish sports scene, images of touchdowns, slam dunks and home runs are likely among the first things that come to mind.
But if Umang Chadda gets his way, the image of a backhand winner sharply crushed down the baseline may also get on that list.
Renaissance Family Fitness hired Chadda this past December to serve as facility’s director of tennis operations.
Chadda’s hire is quite a splash for the Houma-based business.
Prior to arriving in Houma, the new hire enjoyed a decorated career as both a player and coach. Chadda reached the professional circuit as a player, establishing himself as one of India’s most decorated players during his peak years. As a coach/developer, Chadda has helped grow some of the most successful tennis programs in the country.
Chadda said he hopes to do the same in Houma, touting that he will “stop at nothing” to recruit the sport to the area’s children.
“I like challenges,” Chadda said. “I do like to prove myself and see something grow. That’s one of the reasons why I decided to come here. I saw that with Renaissance and its ownership and its people, we all had the same goals for our tennis program. We want people to come out and learn the sport. We want the community to support us and to work as a team with us to help Renaissance reach its goals.”
Chadda has been a tennis player throughout his life. He said he started playing the sport at 7 in his native India.
“It was a sport that I joined to sort of keep me active,” Chadda said. “My parents said it would be a great way to join a sport and to meet new friends.”
But the sport quickly evolved into more for Chadda, who immediately blossomed into a national champion in India – a young talent that toured both his home country and the world while playing the sport.
Chadda evolved further and played at the professional ranks – a time that saw him serve as a hitting partner for players like Pete Sampras, Jennifer Capriati and Anastasia Myskina.
Following five years on the world tour, Chadda played at the NCAA level, earning conference championships in both singles and doubles competition.
He said he dropped to the NCAA level because he wanted an American education. But Chadda added that it was also due to a back injury, which hampered his ability.
“There were big hopes for me back home in India, but that injury never allowed me to get to that level of being a Top 100 player,” Chadda said.
So serving as a collegiate player, Chadda got into coaching. He said he got his start coaching Western Illinois’ men’s and women’s tennis teams – an experience he said was enjoyable.
“I’d, of course, play against my players to help them develop,” Chadda said. “And from doing that, they progressed and I also understood that I enjoyed that aspect of it – developing and making people into better players.”
Following his experience coaching at the collegiate level, Chadda has worked with countless tennis organizations, during which he’s organized dozens of tournaments, hosted hundreds of lessons and has aided in the development of programs throughout America.
At Renaissance, Chadda said he has high hopes for doing the same. Through his time working with other programs, Chadda said he’s jokingly given himself the nickname “The Tennis Doctor.”
“I like people to come to me, tell me their problem and I can take the steps to getting it fixed,” Chadda said. “That’s what I think I’m capable of doing at Renaissance.”
A big item on the new director’s agenda is tournaments – lots of ‘em.
Chadda said in 2014, he hopes to host a slew of tournaments at Renaissance – events he said will vary in terms of age and competition level.
“We want people outside of the area to come and see what our facility has to offer,” Chadda said.
He also said that plans are in the works to create a series of camps, instructional lessons and other teaching points to get more players to learn the game.
Chadda has added an age group to Renaissance’s youth program – a division for children ages 4-6.
“I got a late start by starting at 7,” Chadda said. “The earlier we can get those kids to swing a racquet, the better it is for them and their development.”
The facility also has adult programs. Both adult and children programs are open to non-Renaissance members, as well.
To foster community support, Chadda added that Renaissance will host family outings throughout the year where parents and children can both enjoy the game in a friendly, but competitive scene.
One event planned will be a pizza night where parents and children will take part in drills before stuffing themselves with complementary pizza.
“Children love pizza,” Chadda said with a laugh. “Who wouldn’t come out to that?”
For those concerned about equipment, Chadda stressed that he will be running Renaissance’s tennis shop going forward. He said he is in negotiation with several major brands. Once inventory is laid into the story, Chadda promised the best prices around.
“We’ll be willing to match that price you get on the internet somewhere,” he said. “Today, that’s important.”
Because for Chadda, it’s all about promoting the sport he loves. He said tennis is his passion, and that he remembers his earliest days as a child playing the sport.
Chadda said he aims to give that feeling to anyone asking for the opportunity.
“We’ll recruit hard,” Chadda said. “We want to see ourselves grow. We believe in what we’re doing, and we have great support here. I think we have a great team of professionals and I believe we are in a position to show the game to an entirely new group of people.
“That part of it all very much excites me.”
Renaissance Director of Tennis Operations Umang Chadda poses with a racquet on one of the facility’s many courts. Chadda took over the program in December. He touts big plans to grow local tennis, while recruiting new players to the facility.
