India’s top men’s singles player Sumit Nagal, took a swipe at the All India Tennis Association (AITA) officials ahead of India’s upcoming Davis Cup World Group I tie against Sweden, scheduled for September 14-15.
As the AITA officials and players posed for a photograph with the Charge d’affaires of the Indian Embassy in Stockholm, Rakesh Tiwari, ahead of the Sweden tie, Nagal took to X and wrote, “Maybe it is time to get players in the front row as well?”
Nagal pulled out of the Davis Cup tie against Sweden in August due to a back injury following his first-round exit from the US Open. Nagal had also withdrawn from his men’s doubles fixtures at the Grand Slam event.
“Due to a back issue that has been bothering me for the past few weeks, doctors have advised me to rest for the next two weeks, leaving me without enough time to prepare and compete in Sweden. This same issue also led to my withdrawal from the US Open doubles,” Nagal wrote on social media.
“I am deeply disappointed to be missing this tie, but I have to listen to my body to prevent the back from worsening so that I can finish the season strong and healthy. Good luck to the Indian team – I’ll be cheering for you all from home!” he added.
Players vs AITA
However, this was not the first time Nagal fired a salvo at the AITA officials.
In January this year, after he registered a historic win over Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in the first round of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Nagal expressed his angst as the AITA refused to give him a wild card entry into the Grand Slam due to his refusal to play India’s Davis Cup tie away to Pakistan in February.
“If you look at it, there was a time where we had a lot of singles players playing in the Grand Slams,” he told the media in Melbourne.
“I feel like we are missing quite a bit in the last few years and my goal is to change that in the next years. When I stop tennis, whenever I stop tennis, I hope I can put an impact on the country where we can change the system and have people playing in the singles draw as well,” he added.
Asked about the changes that needed to be done, Nagal said, “A lot of things. First, (we need) to have more tournaments in the country, bring coaches in, better facilities. Just a better system, I would say. Why are all tennis players, singles I’m talking about, going outside India?”
Nagal is not the only player to be involved in a face-off against AITA.
Earlier this year, Mukund Sasikumar slammed the officials for imposing two Davis Cup tie ban on him.
While banning him, AITA said, “Mukund was handed a two-tie suspension by the Executive Committee for his consistent refusal to play for the national team. He did it three times in a row, so he was not to be considered for two ties. This is the first tie and he will not be considered in the next one too.”
Lambasting the AITA, Sasikumar said, “The information is completely false. I was asked to play by captain and coach, and I chose not to play because one, I do not have a visa and two, I just did not want to be there due to bad management.”