Physio Heath Matthews recounts his experiences with some of the best sporting talent in India for espnstar.com.

I have been working with Indian athletes since December 2005. It was at that time that I met Mahesh Bhupathi during a tennis preseason training camp in South Africa.

From there I travelled with Mahesh and Wesley Moodie on the ATP tour for 9 months. It was a great experience and I learnt many things interacting with some of the world’s top physios and trainers. Mahesh is a real hero for Indian sport. Not only has he done his country proud in standing at the top of the world ranking with fellow countrymen Leander Paes, but he has actively sort to improve the standing of Indian tennis with his tennis academy in Bangalore and his involvement with Mittal Champions Trust. I have a huge amount of respect for him.

In November 2006 Mahesh asked me to start working with Sania Mirza. Sania was contracted with Globosport which is Mahesh’s sports management company and thus Mahesh thought that it in Sania’s best interests that I work with her on her fitness.

My first experience of India was in November 2006 when I travelled to Hyderabad to work with Sania for 3 weeks on a preseason training program. I travelled and worked with Sania throughout 2007 until The All England Wimbledon Championships in July of that year.

Our partnership got off to a flying start with Sania winning Silver in the Woman’s Singles and a Gold in the Mixed at the Asian in games in Doha. 2007 was a more challenging year with Sania’s knee injury in early March of that year. It was a trying time for her but she dealt with the surgery very well and was very dedicated to her recovery program. She did so well that she came back and won the doubles title in her first tournament back in Morocco.

Sadly my time came to an end with Sania after Wimbledon. I was offered the opportunity to work for the Mittal Champions Trust as Director of Athletic Performance. At the time I was happy that Sania was in good hands with her coach Gaby from Spain. My career was pulling me in a different direction I needed to follow it deeper into India.

Once working for the Mittal Champions Trust (MCT) I found myself meeting and interacting with so many athletes from so many different backgrounds. I had the privilege of working with Abhinav Bhindra first and then on to Akhil Kumar, Joshna Chinapa, Sania Nehwal, Virwal Kade, Vijender Kumar, Jitender Kumar, etc. Etc.

I enjoyed the challenge of teaching new concepts and ideas to the athletes and their coaching staff. I also learnt a huge amount from them. I really enjoyed the team dynamic that is so entrenched in Indian sport. I found it easy to talk to and deal with the athletes and their coaches and thus was able to do my job successfully.

I enjoyed how different the athletes all where too.

Abhinav has a hire about him that just oozes diligence and dedication to his sport. He lives his sport as a student learning eagerly from his master each day. It’s this discipline that ultimately drove him to Olympic Glory in Beijing last year.

Akhil is a true champion. India’s Rocky Balboa. He is the kind of person I would go to war with at any time and be proud to call my friend. He has a heart of gold and a personality to match. He takes the meaning of hard work and the phrase “NO Pain NO Gain” to a whole new level. I have never met an athlete who is prepared to push himself beyond the limits of pain and endurance as much and as far as he is prepared to do. Well done Akhil, to come back from a career threatening injury and turn adversity into triumph is the stuff of legends. I have no doubt you will become one in time.

Sania Nehwal. I have a feeling that I will have far more to say about this young lady in the coming years. What has impressed me about her so far is just how mature and level headed she is for such a young athlete. She is still a teenager but yet displays the thinking and attitude of someone 5 years her senior. This will stand her in good stead in the future. I have no doubt she will make her country very pound. Good luck Saina!!!

At this point I would like to take the opportunity to highlight the excellent work that MCT has done in Indian sport over the last three years. The tireless work of Miss Manisha Malhortra and Mr. Ramadareer Yadav is exemplary. Many of the athletes who stand atop the podium of success owe a huge thank you to these two people.. They work day and night 7 days a week; 365 days a year to make sure that each and every need of the athletes with whom MCT is associated are taken care of. No job is too big. From Akhil’s two wrist surgeries to the 100’s of arrows for our archers to basic board and lodging for under privileged boxers in Haryana these two get it done. They don’t expect a thank you nor do they want to be rewarded for what they do. They are true supporters of Indian Sport and their driving ambition is to see it grow from strength to strength. My hat goes off to the two of you. You are real patriots and ambassadors of sport.

The MCT can boast a proud record of success in their brief period of existence. Indeed their record of development is good enough to rival the efforts on the country’s leading sporting nations in performance. If you consider that they have less than 40 athletes that they support and a budget that pales in comparison to many other sporting trusts and national structures, their conversation rate to success is world class. You need not look further than Beijing 2008 to see why.

Beijing was by far and away India’s most successful Olympic Games ever. The MCT have the distinguished privilege of claiming the gold medallist (Abhinav), the bronze medallist (Jitender Kumar) and the entire quarterfinalist as members of their athlete development program. The only athlete not to be a part of their program was the wrestler Mr Sushil Kumar. Statistically that means that 80% of India’s medallists or Quarterfinalists have come through the MCT program. Further evidence of their success is that in their own program 1 in 10 of their athletes go on to achieve significant achievements at the world’s highest level of competition.

What this illustrates is a very simple truth. India has more than enough talented athletes to achieve success at the highest international level. The problem is our current programs which are in place to develop these athletes. We need to manage them better. Programs need to be put in place that manage the athletes holistically and cover all aspects of athletic performance and development. When we all come together and work towards this goal we will see India at the top of the medal table at the Olympics. It is not too far beyond the realms of possibility for India to finish in the top 5 at the Olympics. Statistically we should be at this level as we have the second biggest population in the world.

Once we sit down at the table and develop a sports management program with the government and we monitor that program making continually adjusting it to tweak performance here and there we will reach top 5 at the Olympics. I firmly believe it is a realistic 20 year plan. India has more than enough infrastructure and man power all we now need is direction and leadership to bring everything together and start driving this massive pool of talent in the right direction and channelling them towards Olympic Glory.

Issues such as sports medicine science, cutting edge coaching, adequate facilities, good nutrition, decent living conditionings and world class equipment are at the fore front of the athlete’s problems. When these issues are addressed we can start to expect a significant improvement in Indian Sporting performance. When this is coupled with a strong periodise program for training and competition that prepares our athletes well for international exposure at the right times we can expect the medals to start piling up.

It is my dream to see this plan implemented and I and the people at MCT are working hard to do our bit to see this become a reality. I look forward to the day when I can sit down at a table with the sporting leaders of this country and honourable members of the private sector to start working together on making this a reality.

Until then I will continue to apply myself to the best of my ability to help my athletes do well.

I trust that this answers your questions and gives you a little more insight into Indian Sport from my point of view.

                                                                                                                                                                              - As told to Sudeer Mahavaadi