CALCUTTA, May 16: Former Davis Cupper Ramesh Krishnan will make his debut in the over-35 tournament of the Wimbledon this year. He will compete only in the doubles this time. He will also play in the Jimmy Conners seniors tournament as an invitee.

Here in Calcutta for the Akhtar Ali Benefit tie, the younger Krishnan feels such trips abroad will break the monotony of his job as a coach. Krishnan runs a tennis academy in Chennai which currently has 70 registered trainees.

``The Gold flake Open in Chennai almost doubled the strength of my academy,'' he says. ``Tennis was the talk of the town then. Youngsters would come to the academy holding tennis rackets and ask for registration,'' he laughs. Holding the meet during summer vacation also helped in popularising the event.

However, Krishnan would prefer to see the All India Tennis Association organise the Indian open along with the sponsors Gold Flake.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.