Mumbai: India’s prime gamers refusing to show up for Davis Cup ought to face repercussions of some kind, says Anand Amritraj, a former India prime 100 professional and longtime Davis Cup captain.
India No. 1 Sumit Nagal throughout his first spherical match in opposition to Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic on the latest Australian Open. He didn’t play within the weekend’s Davis Cup tie in opposition to Togo in New Delhi. (AP)
The absence of India singles No.1 Sumit Nagal and doubles No.2 Yuki Bhambri might not have been felt within the tie in opposition to lowly Togo at Delhi over the weekend (India gained 4-0), however a few of India’s prime gamers have stayed away from nationwide responsibility in the previous few ties.
The independence of the ATP tour makes it onerous for a nationwide federation to crack the whip. However with entries for occasions just like the Olympics and Asian Video games finalised by the All India Tennis Affiliation (AITA) and a few prime tennis gamers being beneficiaries of the federal government’s Goal Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), that’s the place the federation may act, felt Amritraj.
“That’s where you should put the screws on them. I think you can definitely do that,” Amritraj mentioned on the sidelines of the WTA Mumbai Open. “If you’re in any kind of place with some leverage, you should say: “Either you play Davis Cup, or you won’t get this”. Easy.”
AITA has tried to “put the screws” on some gamers prior to now. It refused to ship Nagal’s nomination for a wildcard entry to the 2024 Australian Open after he opted out of the Davis Cup tie in opposition to Pakistan. Nagal got here by means of qualification and reached the second spherical. Mukund Sasikumar, who returned to the crew in opposition to Togo however has stayed away prior to now, has additionally been reprimanded by AITA.
Anand Amritraj, a Davis Cup doubles stalwart with brother Vijay, by the way, was captain when Nagal entered the Davis Cup fold.
“I like Sumit, but why he would not play… it is really a shame because he is our best player right now. If we play our best team in both singles and doubles, we have a good chance of winning that September match and getting in the World Group,” mentioned Amritraj, who was again within the captain’s nook for the Metropolis of Desires Cup exhibition doubles match at Cricket Membership of India on Monday.
As participant and captain, Amritraj oversaw some well-known Davis Cup wins by India, and likewise star gamers within the setup. It was not the captain’s job, he felt, to persuade gamers to show up for nationwide responsibility. Rohit Rajpal is the present captain.
“The desire has to come from within. The player has to decide before I get into the captain’s chair that he wants to play,” he mentioned.
“To me, it is just inconceivable that if you are ranked high enough and the country wants you to play, you would not play without any financial conversation. Unless you’re injured and can’t walk on the court. Other than that, there should be no question whether you’re going to play Davis Cup. You’ve got 50 weeks in the year to make your money; two weeks you should be able to give to the country you grew up in.”