As the results of last year’s All-India Tennis Association (AITA) elections remain unannounced, the rival factions in the national tennis federation have picked separate team managers for the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Switzerland, leading to an ego tussle between the members.
The AITA had conducted its elections on September 28, 2024, but the results were submitted before the Delhi High Court in a sealed envelope due to a petition filed by former players Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja. The players alleged that the Sports Code (2011) was not followed. Since then, the old Executive Committee has been managing the affairs of the sports body, but a fresh controversy erupted when Anil Dhupar was removed as Secretary General by the EC on June 27 this year and Sunder Iyer was appointed interim secretary.
Dhupar has challenged his removal in the court, which will next hear the matter on September 10. The ministry has refused to interfere in the internal matter of the AITA. Now that the National Sports Governance Act 2025 has come into force, the matter should reach a conclusion soon.
Iyer informed the EC members on August 9 that Tripura association secretary Sujit Roy will travel to Switzerland as manager with the Indian Davis Cup team for the tie to be played in Biel on September 12 and 13. What followed the announcement was an email exchange among the EC members who debated the appointment.
Dhupar, who has challenged the legality of the EC meeting that removed him as secretary on June 27 in Ahmedabad, asserted that it has been a longstanding tradition for the secretary general to travel with the team as manager and AITA President Anil Jain has approved and sanctioned his name.
Bengal Tennis Association (BTA) President Hironmoy Chatterjee mentioned that it's the Executive Committee which has the power to nominate the manager and Dhupar, in the past, had travelled as manager only after the EC approved it.
Chatterjee advised all the members to ignore the email sent by Dhupar and All Assam Tennis Association (AATA) President Raktim Saikia endorsed his view. AITA Vice President Navneet Sehgal, however, advised the members to respect the tradition and not get into “my man his man” concept.
Another AITA Vice President Chintan Parikh said Dhupar has not received any favourable decision from the court, so he should not be appointed as manager by the President without consulting the EC. He further stressed that a secretary general becoming the manager of Davis Cup team was "demoting" the position.
"The President, Hon. Secretary and their internal kitchen cabinet consisting of three-four members have decided to undermine the EC members totally and run AITA with total autocracy like a family shop. They should know their days are numbered, and their actions will go in the history of AITA as shameful," Parikh wrote.
Parikh argued that all travel expenses need to be approved by the EC and If Dhupar decides to travel as manager without an explicit consent of EC, AITA will not pay his expenses, unless approved by EC.
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