The All India Tennis Affiliation (AITA) on Tuesday prompt that the nation’s high participant Sumit Nagal maybe intentionally missed the Davis Cup tie towards Sweden final week, claiming that he was injured however is now set to play an ATP event in China. India had been hammered 0-4 by Sweden and AITA secretary Anil Dhupar mentioned absence of high gamers like Nagal and Yuki Bhambri within the squad harm the nationwide workforce’s possibilities of doing effectively within the World Group I contest in Stockholm.
Skipper Rohit Rajpal fielded doubles gamers N Sriram Balaji within the opening singles. Ramkumar Ramanathan was the one skilled participant within the squad and two of the opposite three — Aryan Shah and Siddharth Vishwakarma — had been debutants.
Niki Pooancha, who’s simply one-tie previous, additionally largely focusses on doubles.
So successfully, India had only one singles participant.
Nagal had opted out of the tie saying that he had some again concern whereas Yuki didn’t specify why he selected to not play.
Nagal has entered the ATP250 occasion in Hangzhou and is drawn to fulfill a Qualifier in his opening spherical.
“Undoubtedly if Sumit and Yuki had performed, we’d have had much better probabilities. They questioned the administration of AITA, the captain and workforce. Sumit Nagal mentioned he had some again downside, however (is) that downside okay (now)? He’s enjoying a event in China, so any individual has to make folks perceive the correct factor,” Dhupar mentioned.
Requested Mukund Sasikumar was already suspended by the AITA, Dhupar mentioned regardless of that, captain Rajpal made efforts to get him on the workforce.
“The captain referred to as 10 instances and that he’ll request the manager committee to revoke the choice (suspension). It is time so that you can play. If there’s a choice towards you, he’ll request the manager committee. However he refused.” After India’s crushing defeat, Nagal and former gamers Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja had questioned the best way AITA capabilities.
Nagal had additionally questioned why AITA officers had been standing within the entrance row whereas the gamers had been within the again row forward of the tie towards Sweden.
AITA additionally launched an announcement on its twitter deal with, saying that Davis Cup is extra than simply tennis.
“Representing India in Davis Cup is extra than simply tennis — it is about honour, nationwide satisfaction and provoking the subsequent era of athletes. Gamers like Sumit Nagal, Yuki Bhambri and Mukund Sasikumar refused to play for nation regardless that they had been taking part in different tournaments elsewhere.
“AITA administration, together with the captain of the Davis Cup workforce, tried to persuade every of them to play for nation, however they merely refused,” the tennis physique mentioned in its assertion. PTI reached out to Nagal, Bhambri and Mukund however all three refused to remark.
AITA additionally launched an inventory of its work, saying it performed as many as 829 tournaments for the good thing about the gamers in 2023 season. It additionally mentioned that it performed a number of programs to develop new coaches and that 130 new coaches had registered with the sports activities physique within the 2024 season.
Requested what level AITA was attempting to make with this assertion, Dhupar mentioned, “I am not attempting to make any level. I am attempting that there are few issues we’ve achieved.
“There’s one level that individuals ought to know. Quantity two, Davis Cup is certainly a vital. It is greater than a event, each participant who’s an Indian ought to take part if chosen. So why not? “He (Nagal) mentioned that he had a again harm and now he has entered this Hangzhou Open. He has turn out to be alright. My good needs to him. Let the nation determine. Let the folks of India determine,” Dhupar mentioned.
“And it isn’t the primary time that Mukund refused, 3 times earlier than. Let the folks determine, the gamers determine what can we do? We tried our greatest to convey these folks on board. If they aren’t accessible, what to do?” Dhupar mentioned that AITA was going through “pointless” criticism for the loss towards Sweden.
“The brand new committee goes to be coming within the first week of October. They may determine what’s to be achieved.”
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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