The ACO Diaries - Part 6: A fast band that's slower only to Raonic's serve?

It's a warm and lazy Sunday afternoon in Chennai, the kind that's perfect for a nice siesta. However, things are a little different at the Aircel Chennai Open 2012 where players from around the world aren't in any mood to rest. Janko Tipsarevic and Leander Paes are out practicing for their final evening match.

What's even more different is the fact that the final day of action at the championship started not with tennis but with music! Chennai's own 83 Miles Per Hour (slightly slower than Raonic's second serve but never the less a rock band with passion and zest) came to rock us.

The 6 member team comprising Kenny Shazia (vocals), Peter Francis Joshua ( Drums), Aldrin Dominic Alexander (Keyboards), Rishikant Ekka ( Guitar), Harshit Misra (Bass), and Raemus Castelino (Guitar) met in college and has been a regular on the college circuit. With members from Manipur, Kerala and the Andamans, the band represents integration beyond geographical terms with each member having a unique style of their own, right from the way they dress to the way they play. Having reached the finals of Channel V launchpad and Chennai Live Band hunt, self taught drummer, Peter aka 'The Madness' tells us that, "they eat and live music."

Sound Engineering students at AAT College Chennai, the band played a mix of covers and their own compositions. Among them is their Title song 83 Miles Per hour and another called Hold on. Classics like We Will Rock You by Queen were also part of the list. The energy the band showed on stage is incredible, with Kenny 'The Priest' Shazia head banging and jumping all around. Inspired by the likes of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd among others, this group is "sober band on stage," and reserves the partying for later.

The name was derived, when in 2011, four founding members of the band decided to try out something unique. They added their ages and used the first letters of their names to create an abbreviation. A bit of shuffling and 83 Miles Per Hour was born.

With the opening ceremony over, the stage was set for the big serve. Crowd favourite Raonic to take on Serbian Tipsarevic in one of the most exciting finals in recent times with both players in very good form. Tipsarevic of course wouldn't be getting much rest after taking on the Canadian. He will be on a crusade with new partner Paes to defeat the Israeli pair of Ram and Erlich.

With contributions from Vishesh Unni Raghunathan.

The ACO Diaries - Part 5: Living a Dream?

As the big serving Milos Raonic serves four aces straight to win a point, we have with us Aircel Chennai Open's Super Fan, George Jacob from Cochin, Kerala. A tennis player at college level, the excited 23-year-old is living a dream come true.

"It is unbelievable," he says. "Many refused to believe me when I said I had won the contest." Treated to an exclusive behind the scenes tour, the sports buff has been a season pass holder at the Chennai Open for the past 3 years. With exams going on and on the threshold of a career in engineering, he decided rather reluctantly to give the tournament a miss. But as things turned out, he didn't! Coming across the contest on Facebook, he decided to participate. The Engineering graduate made a video telling us why he deserved to be the Super Fan.

He shared with us his views about the time when he met a few of the players. "Almagro was all serious," he says. "Paes was amazing. He gave me a signed towel." The awestruck fan who also plays the violin and listens to music in his spare time is seeing his dreams coming in a packed few hours.

"The Hawk-eye is amazing. They explained the whole process, from the various camera angles to how the final image we see on the screen is developed," he recounts from his tour around the stadium. "The players' lounge is amazing. It surely is world class what with the play stations among other things," he continues.

Jacob likes serve and volleying and single-handed backhands. As you can guess Federer is his favorite player. "I have been watching tennis since the 90s when Wimbledon was the only tennis they telecast in India," he recounts. Boris Becker and McEnroe are his all time favorites.

Thrilled and still pinching himself, the Super Fan is here with his mother and has been having a five star experience since landing in Chennai. Apart from music and tennis he also plays and watches football. For this Arsenal fan though, the last few days were all about tennis at the Aircel Chennai Open.

With contributions from Vishesh Unni Raghunathan.

The ACO Diaries - Part 4: Who needs hawk-eye?

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An hour has passed since the day's games have begun and at the West entrance to Centre Court stand nine men in green tees and black track pants. As the point ends, they walk in a line around the court and enter it from behind the Chair Umpire even as another group of similarly dressed men walk out of it. These are the line umpires at the Aircel Chennai Open; men whose correct judgement is critical to each game.

Their job is one that demands loads of concentration. The crowd can go berserk and crack in excitement halfway through the point but these men cannot for a moment look away from the line. As the big serving Raonic puts the ball in, you can see the official furtively following the ball and pointing his hands joined together towards the ground, meaning it was good. "It isn't easy. Some get the shout correct but not the hands and vice versa. It takes practice to get it right," explains an official, relaxing after his first stint of the evening.

"It is a tough job but we like what we do," says a Central Government employee who can be seen looking intently at the service line on Centre Court during a match. He and a few others have been at the Chennai Open since it all began. They have had the pleasure of officiating in matches of greats like Nadal, Moya and Becker.

"The hawk-eye might not a 100 per cent accurate all the time," claimed a line umpire, feeling that the percentage of error committed by them and hawk-eye's accuracy would cancel out each other. "We make the call with our naked eye in a split second and it is up to the players to challenge it," adds another umpire who has been officiating at the Chennai Open for the last 4 years.

"We officiate in other tournaments around the country," says an umpire who works with the Department of Posts. "At the tournament, we are mostly level 1 umpires. There a few level 2 officials as well," he adds. The youngest of the lot is 21-year-old while the oldest is around 55.

"It is best to start early, say at 18," they say when asked about when one can start learning the art. All these men return to the championship year after year only because they love the game. That's the Aircel Chennai Open for you ladies and gentlemen!

With contributions from Vishesh Unni Raghunathan

The ACO Diaries - Part 3: A stringer of a different kind!

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As the sun sets, Milos Raonic smashes yet another one past Victor Hanescu. The action is getting hotter and more exciting at the Aircel Chennai Open 2012...

Just before one steps on to the court through the players' entrance, to the left you'll see a man who has been a vital part of the tennis championship ever since the event moved to Chennai. Meet Shivakumar Palani, a real estate consultant and tennis coach at the American Embassy and American International School. Palani is also a racquet stringer, which explains why he returns dutifully to SDAT Stadium year after year. From Boris Becker and Rafael Nadal to Carlos Moya and Leander Paes, the 45-year-old has strung the racquets of the world's best tennis stars. "I am proud that I have not missed a single day of the Chennai Open in the past 16 years," he says with a beaming smile. He also states with pride that while other tournaments have two and sometimes even three racquet stringers, he is the only one at the Aircel Chennai Open. "The players know me", he says. He has just begun stringing the racquet of World No. 10 and second Seed, Nicolás Almagro, who is making a perfect debut in Chennai.

A quick glance at the tension on the stringing machine and his hands continue to work even as he speaks. "Most of the games are played at night here, and the humidity is higher." This means that the racquets need to be strung slightly looser. "The players are so good that they know these things." He recalls an epic battle between Nadal and Moya a few years ago where he had to string 11 racquets during the game. "I strung six racquets for Nadal and five for Moya, they rally a lot," he explains.

His day begins at 8 am and goes on until midnight. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to string a racquet. As he threads and pulls on the strings, he talks about tennis with passion. "Pete Sampras," he says without hesitation when asked about his favorite player. A third generation tennis player, Palani has played in the Indian circuit and looks quite fit. "Not in tennis terms though," he says ruefully. He is still involved in the game for four to five hours a day, coaching and playing. "The Indian players know me as a player as well," he adds.

He maintains cards for different players. "It helps avoid confusion for me," he responds."There are so many racquets and strings here and I cannot afford any mix-ups." He considers himself fortunate to be doing this for the last 16 years. Methodical and dexterous, he is a figure the players trust. "They see me and know. They don't need to say much," he says about regulars. Asked if he has had a chance to play with any of them, "Not much time, I string racquets all day long," he says without much regret!

An omnipresent figure who makes the tournament what it is. That's Shivakumar Palani... He's almost done with Almagro's racquet and takes another one to string.

With contributions from Vishesh Unni Raghunathan.

The ACO Diaries Part 2: The Lifeline of Aircel Chennai Open

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It is a hot and sultry afternoon in Chennai and Paes is again out practicing, this time volleying against Vishnu Vardhan. Today Centre Court sees American Sam Querrey take on Romanian Victor Hanescu followed by last year's finalist Xavier Malisse taking on David Goffin in an all Belgian affair (see if you can spot Tintin in the crowd). In doubles action the Spanish duo of Nicolas Almagro and Pere Riba take on Julian Knowle and Michael Kohlmann. The last match of the day sees local boys Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan take on Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram of the USA. The youngsters will hope to make an impression at least as Mohit and Ramkumar did yesterday against the Israelis.

That's on court side. Let's now look the action that takes place behind the scenes and get to know about the people who make it all possible.

Almost omnipresent, you can see them on the trot with their walkie-talkies and black tees. An event of this magnitude takes place efficiently only because countless men and women work tirelessly behind the scene ensuring even the smallest items are exactly in place. There's a lot of hard work and loads of fun too! One such group is made up of volunteers from IMG Reliance, the event organizer and promoter. For four weeks, this team has been working around the clock, weathering storms and occasionally catching 20 winks to get the venue all set for South Asia's only ATP tournament.

From counting the number of chairs in the stadium to ensuring the signage is in the right places, the team of 10 has been sweating it out without any protests. The team spirit has been amazing a volunteer tells us. Working over 12 hours a day, the team has ensured that everything from the telephone lines and the internet to chairs and tables are in the right places. "I ensure stocks like water is available in plenty throughout the venue. It has been a wonderful learning experience and a lot of fun working in a young team", said a final year Bachelor of Business Administration student when asked about his time at the championship.

Mostly made up of students, the group goes about helping everyone with a smile, right from fetching pens, paper clips and taking photocopies, to helping with media tapes and co-ordinating with other organizers. For many, it has been a valuable lesson in coordination and working together. "I've learnt about stuff I never knew before like ticketing and work that happens inside the media room", said a student of International Studies. Pushed to the limit, this group is one among the many who are indispensable for the tournament to offer a great setting for both spectators and the heroes of world tennis to win matches and hearts.

So now you know tennis balls are not the only things that need to be picked up during a championship... It's more than a glamour game!

With contributions from Vishesh Unni Raghunathan.

The ACO Diaries: Part 1 - The What, Where, How of Aircel Chennai Open!

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And the 2012 Aircel Chennai Open begins! As the crowds pour in, the last of the qualifiers are underway while Paes and topless top seed Tipsarevic are in the middle of an exciting hit out on Centre Court.

Over the next few days, we will be meeting the many people working behind the scenes apart from catching up with few of tennis' most promising stars. If this your first visit to the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam, here's a quick run through of the venue

First things first, you go through a quick security check (for car parking facilities check http://www.aircelchennaiopen.org/2012/event_guide/venue). Your bags are checked (remember plastic bottles, tins, lighters, musical instruments, metal containers and weapons aren't allowed inside), after which your tickets are scanned. Once you get past the security check, to your right you have the market place. If gaming is your cup of Lavazaa coffee, try out the Wii tennis stalls by Hide and Seek and title sponsor Aircel. FedEx has a contest where you predict the winner of the match of the day. If you're lucky, you could win signed merchandise. If cars are your thing, you could check out Aircel's pocket apps including the one on car racing or experience the Volvo X60 and CX60 official tournament cars on display.

Opposite the market place, you can view the day's schedule and the main draws to understand what's happening inside! If you walk straight down from the main gate (past the North stand) and take a left, you will come to the outside courts and food court to your right. Walk down, and to your left you'll find the players' lounge and the players' entrance to Centre Court. Past it to your right is the Volvo hospitality lounge. Take a left and you come to the entrance to the South stands, a left again down the road and you are back at the main gate. Remember to carry your out pass if you intend to go out and return!

Have a great time and remember to keep quiet during the game!

With contributions from Vishesh Unni Raghunathan.