‘Play For India or Lose Funding’, Indian Tennis Stars Told by Sports Authority of India in New Directive

The sport of tennis in India has been going through tough times lately, as there are no Indians in the top part of the ATP or WTA rankings and any glory that comes the way of tennis players from the nation happens largely due to doubles tennis, which isn’t as popular or financially lucrative as the singles game is. Despite that, Indian tennis stars receive funding from central government support schemes like Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) or Target Asian Games Group (TAGG), for the purpose of being able to bring India glory at such events or even the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. 

However, a lot of Indian players make themselves unavailable for national duty when the chance arises. But that could change soon due to a directive from the Sports Authority of India, or SAI. 

A new directive by SAI states that players who receive such funding must be available for national duty at all times unless they have a very good reason not to be, and provide a written undertaking for the same. 

“It is important that all players benefiting from the support, provided under these schemes prioritise representing India if selected by the All India Tennis Association (AITA),” the SAI order stated.

What’s more, the order stated that players who defy this instruction will be asked to return the sum amount of the government funding that they get. 

Many players like Sumit Nagal and Yuki Bhambri have found themselves at odds with SAI due to missing out on Davis Cup ties and this is meant to discourage such behaviour in the future. 

However, there is every chance this may prove counter-productive as the main reason players choose to skip international events is due to a lack of ranking points. 

ATP and WTA points are not available for tournaments like the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, Olympics and even Asian Games, meaning players would rather focus their energies elsewhere. 

Indian players are reliant on government money but were it to come with the caveat of being available for all international events, there is a chance they may stop being part of these schemes altogether.