“This is what has been going in Indian tennis for so long” Rohan Bopanna hits back at AITA officials for lying
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Rohan Bopanna and Anil Dhupar
Rohan Bopanna uncovered the deep-lying problem of Indian tennis when he spoke about the issues of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) not being on the same page with the players and creating issues that need not be created in the first place.
Rohan was supposed to partner Divij Sharan in the Men’s Doubles for the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the AITA had submitted the pair’s name before the deadline for the entries. However, some days later it was confirmed that the duo won’t be participating and despite International Tennis Federation (ITF) making its stand clear, the AITA kept Rohan in the dark.
Speaking about Anil Dhupar, Secretary-General of the AITA, Rohan claimed that Dhupar kept saying that Rohan has been paired up with Sumit Nagal for the Doubles and the confirmation is awaited any moment despite the deadline having already gone.
Speaking in a recent interview with sports journalist Boria Majumdar, Rohan disclosed further details about how he was kept in the dark and was being lied to all the while. “Yesterday(19 July), at 2:45, I called Mr Dhupar and he still said, I’ll be talking to someone in 15 minutes and I will let you know. We are still trying for Sumit and you,” revealed Bopanna.
“Just be honest with the players” says Rohan Bopanna to AITA
Rohan Bopanna talked about how this players issue with AITA has been a big obstacle for Indian tennis and it’s been going on for generations right from the time of the legendary Vijay Amritraj to the generation of players Rohan belonged to and now the upcoming generation is also facing the same issue.
“When you are having communication with a player for 2 weeks, just be honest with him. The only chance for us to make it into Doubles was Divij and myself. There was no way else it was happening unless one of us was injured or ill. This is what unfortunately has been going on for so many years in Indian tennis. We’ve all gone through it.
“Back in the day, from the Amritraj’s to the Paes, Bhupathi, Sania, Somdev, myself, we have all gone through years of this happening. It’s about time we make a change for the future generation of Indian tennis. The Indian tennis players have all come up on their own. There has to be a change where they are looking after the tennis players,” added Rohan condemning the behaviour of AITA.
How things will shape up in the future for Indian tennis remains a big question but it certainly has brought the issue of players into the light and hopefully, necessary actions will be taken soon.
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Sarthak Shitole
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