DMITRY SHCHERBAKOV THE FOUNDER & CEO OF LIGA.TENNIS CENTRE & ACADEMY

Tell us about Liga.Tennis Centre & Academy
Liga.Tennis Center & Academy (LTCA) is not just six tennis courts and a clubhouse.
Liga.Tennis is a game changer for tennis in Indonesia and South-East Asia.
Liga.Tennis Center & Academy (LTCA) is a high-end tennis center with six professional ITF-standard courts located in the heart of Bali’s prime area. With more than 330 sunny days a year, the LTCA provides the best possible conditions for enjoying tennis for families, groups, amateurs and professional players.
Our center has innovative features such as video streaming for match playbacks and a tie-in to our Liga.Tennis app.
Our goal doesn’t stop with just this facility. We intend to grow the game in Indonesia through scholarships for talented local players, outreach and events in other areas of Indonesia. We are also creating professional-level tournaments in Bali, a coaching education program and much more.

Is this your first Liga.Tennis Centre & Academy?
Yes, but likely not the last. We plan to scale our business model and we are considering opening LTCA in other regions of Indonesia.

Why did you decide to open the facility in Bali?
It all began with the Liga.Tennis platform. It is a fast-growing worldwide tennis community that helps players keep track of their improvement through regular competitive games.
We founded the Liga.Tennis app on 14th February 2017 (surprising fact – my son Justin was born on that day). Since that time, thousands of tennis lovers have joined. Of course, a big majority of the Balinese tennis community is there also.
Unfortunately, Liga.Tennis did not solve the problem of tennis infrastructure. We still did not have enough tennis courts, schools, programs, tournaments, etc. Therefore, it was a quite logical decision to consider building a specialized tennis center in Bali. Our Island needed it.

Were you a professional tennis player?
No. I had never held a tennis racquet before I was 32 years old.

You claim that this is the only one professional tennis center in Indonesia, can you explain about that?
Liga.Tennis Center & Academy is the first and the only professional tennis center in Bali. But considering our facilities, programs and approach, I assume that LTCA is one of the most advanced tennis centers not only in Indonesia but also in Asia. It will become even more esteemed after we open the Liga.Tennis Sports Hub (fitness center, pool, group lessons) in 2020.

Do you have any scholarship programs in the academy?
Yes, we will launch Liga.Tennis Foundation in 2020. It’s our key project.
Together with a strategic sponsor we will organize regular junior tennis tournaments around Indonesia. We are currently launching a junior tournament in Malang, Java. Our coaches will fly there to organize a tournament and scout out the best talent. Once they recognize potential future tennis players, they will meet their parents and offer them a one-month trial in Bali. Liga.Tennis Foundation will cover all the expenses for those kids and their parents: flights, food, accommodation and, of course, tennis facilities.
During that one-month probation, those juniors will be out of their comfort zone and will feel physical and mental pressure. They will play matches (against strong adult players), join classroom sessions and many other training activities. We will look for positives attitudes both on and off the court.
After that trial, our coaches will decide whether we should send those students back or if should offer them a long-term contract based on free-of-charge or semi-paid scholarship.
Long term, we aim to grow the world’s best tennis players.

What do you think your strongest personal quality is?
Determination. Sometimes my decisions are based on feelings, but mostly they are based on facts and analysis.

If you could pick one place anywhere in the world to be your dream destination, where would it be?
Of course, Bali.

What do you do for fun during your day off?
Play tennis and spend time with my family, who are the most important to me.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
As a President of ATP – Association of Tennis Professionals.