Tennis player Sumit Nagal has demanded $50,000 to play in the Davis Cup for India and said that it is "standard practice" for athletes to be paid for their services, said The All India Tennis Association (AITA) on Thursday.
Nagal had, though, opted out of the recent Davis Cup tie against Sweden, citing a back strain that also forced him out of the US Open men's doubles competition last month.
It was India's best chance to beat Sweden in their backyard but competing without a singles specialist, the team lost by 0-4.
Packed with doubles players and debutants, the team could not even win a single set in the World Group I tie.
AITA on Tuesday made its displeasure clear by saying that the country's top players, including Nagal, Yuki Bhambri and Sasikumar Mukund, refused national duty.
Nagal had entered the ATP 250 Hangzhou Open and was scheduled to play on Thursday but withdrew citing the same back issue.
"You tell me why should a player be asking for money to play for the country. This is a big question. He had demanded an annual fee of USD 50,000 (approx 45 lakh) and said if he is not paid, he will not play," said Anil Dhupar, secretary general of AITA.
Largely restricted to World Group I, India plays only two ties in a single season -- in February and September.
"Let the country decide if it is right or not. Then, it is the decision of the government and everybody. The players are also paid by TOPS. And it's not that they don't get paid for playing the Davis Cup. They do get paid," Dhupar insisted.
The AITA head was referring to the prize money that AITA receives from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for Davis Cup participation and distribution among team members.
For a World Group I tie, AITA gets around Rs 30 lakh and 70 pc of it is distributed among the participating players while the remaining 30 per cent is kept by the national federation to manage administrative expenditure.
The prize money goes down for a lower group tie.
"No other player asked for additional money over and above their share of the ITF prize money."
Nagal did not deny the AITA claim as he put his defence through a statement on social media.
"Regarding compensation, I want to clarify that it is standard practice in professional sports for athletes to be compensated for their participation in events, even when representing their country,” Nagal said.
"This is not about personal gain. My discussions with AITA and the Davis Cup Captain are confidential and I would not like to indulge in any speculation about this," Nagal added.
AITA was furious that Nagal chose to skip Davis Cup last week by citing injury but "recovered miraculously" to compete in the Hangzhou Open.
Nadal withdrew from the ATP 250 tournament, two days after AITA came out with its statement.
Nagal said representing the country was always "a privilege and an honour that I hold in the highest regard."
He added, "It was a difficult decision to withdraw from the Davis Cup...However, after consulting with my medical team, it became clear that competing while carrying an injury could not only jeopardise my health but also adversely impact the team's chances.
"I believe it is better for the team and for the country to have someone at 100 per cent rather than risking further injury and potentially disrupting the match. I had informed AITA well in advance about my inability to participate," he added.
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