New Delhi:The All India Tennis Association (AITA) Sunday forge a three-member citizens committee, that includes erstwhile Davis Cup captain Naresh Kumar, to search into participants ‘ grievances and suggest a undifferentiated contract bridge within four months.
AITA secretary Hiranmoy Chatterjee said the committee will also submit an interim report so the that the top players can make themselves available for the Group I Asia/Oceania first round play-off tie against Indonesia at home in April. Justice Deepak Verma (former Supreme Court judge) and M.C.Gupta (retired IAS officer) are the other two members of the committee.
“The committee will be provided with names of top-20 male and female players. They will talk to them and make suggestions to the AITA on forming an uniform players’ agreement that will be binding on both the parties,” said Chatterjee after AITA’s executive committee meeting here.
Bhupathi and the ‘rebel ‘ participants might realise their troubles resolved. Reuters
Chatterjee read since India is following Davis Cup linkup is in April, the citizens committee leave present an interim news report that would at least sway the 11 greyback participants to realise themselves uncommitted for the linkup.
“Since the players were in no mood to believe us, we thought the committee can handle it well. And since the next tie is in April, the committee will submit an interim report that would convince the players to make themselves available for national duty,” he said.
Asked if the demands of the rebel players that the AITA had accepted would also be offered to the Fed Cup team, Chatterjee said: “Of course, we have to. Why should we leave out the women tennis players? It should be equal for both the teams.”
Chatterjee said once the committee submits its report, the AITA executive committee will look into the suggestions before formulating a players’ agreement.
The executive committee in a statement blasted Somdev Devvarman for labelling the national body as “unethical” and “unprofessional”.
“We do not understand what has prompted him to make such comments which, according to us, are not based on facts but merely rhetorics. We are amazed that some members of the AITA are also joining the bandwagon for reasons best known to them,” the statement read.
IANS