In a column Naresh Kumar writes that the need of the hour is the Infusion of quality players without the messy politicking that goes on in the associations as well as well as between players and associations. The most memorable one has been the tiff between Mahesh Bhupati and AITA over Mission 2018 by Apollo Tyres. The groupism that is developing in the Indian Tennis Team and the revolt against Paes has only added to the woes of the system.
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Indian tennis is in a turmoil. The Davis Cup team is in revolt. The rebels — reportedly led by Mahesh Bhupathi/Prakash Amritraj — are trying to sign up Somdev Dev Varman to retain their stranglehold on the Davis Cup team. The All Indian Tennis Association (AITA) is also at loggerheads with Bhupathi over his flamboyant Apollo Tyres Mission 2018 programme, a Rs 100 crore project promising a Grand Slam Champion in ten years!
Furthermore, the AITA has banned private promoters from conducting WTA and ATP tournaments. Happily, the controversy about the selection of coaches for training the team for the Commonwealth Games seems to have died down with the appointment of Jaidip Mukerjea as the chief coach. Quite a plateful.
The turbulence started during the Indo-Japan Davis Cup tie in Delhi in March. In an appalling move, the team wrote to the AITA refusing to play under the captaincy of Leander Paes and listing his failings. The ominous letter was also signed by Karan Rastogi, a Davis Cup prospect not on the team.
Not only was it an effort to oust Paes, but the inclusion of Rastogi made it apparent that it was an effort to ‘hijack’ the team.
With the powerful Bhupathi-Amritraj combine and the forthcoming important pre-World Group tie against Romania, the AITA had little option but to back down. A non-playing captain, S. P. Misra was appointed and Paes ‘voluntarily’ stepped down from the captaincy.
The matter is put away in the cupboard and may be raised again when the next Davis Cup tie in the Asia Oceania Group I comes up in April ’09.
Somdev’s performance in tournaments has now made him a key member of our future Davis Cup tennis. He needs a sponsor badly and understandably he will have to follow his sponsor’s directions. If the AITA can help him and receive his support, the revolt could well peter out and the AITA would be back in the saddle. If not, the ‘rebels’ will retain control of the Davis Cup team.
For some years now WTA and ATP tournaments have been organised by tennis loving promoters and sponsors, at times working with state associations.
The tournaments, held at a total cost of more than Rs 100 crores with almost all the prize money being taken away by foreign players, have done little for Indian tennis. The sole exception was when Sania Mirza won the tournament in Hyderabad. One does not need a consultant to tell you that the absence of a meaningful Indian presence in the events cannot be compensated by glitzy promotional gimmicks with prancing models and Bollywood stars.
Sponsors are not in love with the game. They want adequate return on their money. It is reported that the cancellation of the Bangalore ATP tournament was triggered by the absence of sponsors. The promoters wriggled out of their commitment, citing security apprehensions after the bomb blasts. The excuse outraged AITA, who apprehending loss of face on the international scene, fired a broadside by banning private bodies from conducting WTA or ATP events.
Though the promoters grudgingly pay royalty to the AITA for holding the tournaments, they will strongly contest the AITA’s jurisdiction over them. The dispute will surely escalate and could end up in the covernment’s lap.
Yet another source of irritation for the AITA is the Rs. 100 crore sponsorship Bhupathi has received for the Apollo Tyres Mission 2018 programme. The aim is to produce an Indian Grand Slam winner by 2018. The racy title conjures up images of Tom Cruise emerging successful in ‘Mission Impossible’. The AITA has taken strong exception to the advertisements and newspaper reports on the grounds that it conveys the false impression that the AITA is not doing anything for Indian tennis.
Bhupathi, in a press statement stated, “We have never had a structure to produce players in the country. All eight players who made it to the top 100 in singles or doubles over the last 30 years have made it privately. We have created this structure and are confident it will work. The mission is to produce results.”
Player versus association skirmishes are a global phenomenon and India is no exception. The confrontation between the AITA and the others is moving towards an all out Twenty20 cricket slog.
Indian tennis badly needs an infusion of good quality players without which promotional hype is futile and global recognition a dream.
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