India's doubles tennis star Rohan Bopanna announced his foray into sports-inspired fitness business with the launch of 'Cardio Tennis.'

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Cardio Tennis is a group cardio-workout, combining the

best features of tennis and cardiovascular exercises to create

an invigorating, full-body, high-intensity workout, with music

and fitness drills along with innovative tennis games.

Bopanna said India is a potential market for CT and that

he would like to open such initiatives in other cities as

well.

He, however, did not reveal the size of investment he

made into this venture."In fact, I have put almost all the money into it," he

told reporters here.The tennis star had earlier launched a range of

speciality coffees - Rohan Bopanna's Master Blend - in

association with city-based micro roastery and cafe - The

Flying Squirrel - in January.

Bopanna, who was World Number Three in ATP ranking in

2013, said he hopes to take both tennis and fitness to people

with the help of CT. "One of the most exciting aspects of this regimen is that it is heart-rate monitored and a detailed performance report

is sent to each participant at the end of every session,"

Meraki Sport & Entertainment MD Ajit Ravindran said.

CT is licensed in India Bopanna and Meraki Sports and

Entertainment.

Apart from regular sessions at key locations, Meraki's

role would be to reach out to corporates and the IT sector

across India, Ravindran said. CT (India) Director Harsha Thimmaiah said it is open to participants of all ages, and varying levels of tennis

proficiency.

A CT session runs for about 50 minutes, where

participants can expect to burn about 500-600 calories on an

average, with four different segments, he said. "We can accommodate up to 12-14 participants per session and can conduct back-to-back or parallel sessions, based on the infrastructure available," Thimmaiah said.

A CT session can also be conducted in areas other than a

tennis court, ranging from a large hall to a playground and

football turfs, he added.

CT is very popular in the US, UK and Australia.

The programme is held over weekends at the Karnataka

State Lawn Tennis Association and will soon be available at

key locations across the city in the next two to three months.

First Published:Jul 30, 2018 5:55 AM IST