Vishal Uppal's removal as captain stumps AITA Executive Committee members

Even the All India Tennis Association (AITA) Executive Committee members were taken aback by Vishal Uppal's ouster as Billie Jean King Cup captain because the issue was not brought up by the important decision-making body. Shalini Thakur Chawla has taken Uppal's seat, the AITA said on Monday. Anil Dhupar, the secretary general of AITA, told PTI that he had discussed the modification with Suman Kapur, the secretary of the Haryana Tennis Association (HTA), who claimed that he had just relayed the decision rather than having it debated at the EC meeting. Moreover, Uppal was not given any information in confidence prior to the judgement. Uppal said that up until the decision was finalised, he was unaware of his dismissal. AITA Vice President (Sports) Hironmoy Chatterjee received a letter from Kapur, who is also a member of the EC, in which he expressed "severe concern" and demanded that an urgent EC meeting be held to consider all significant issues pertaining to Indian tennis. "I was not involved in the conversation or how I fit into it. Why does Anil Dhupar inform me about Vishal's dismissal? According to Kapur, this ought to have been debated in the Executive Committee. It should be emphasised that Uppal operates his institution in Gurugram, a city in the state of Haryana. The non-playing captain position was given to the 46-year-old Uppal in 2019.

Dhupar is making "arbitrary judgements," according to an another EC member who wished to remain unnamed. "We don't know why he's acting in this way. This is a significant issue, thus it is inconceivable that such a choice was made without discussion. Why the hurry? What is a trigger, the member enquired. According to Kapur's letter to Chatterjee, he has nothing against Shalini Thakur but believes that the AITA Executive Committee, which hired Vishal Uppal in the first place, should have had a say in any decision to replace him. "For the past few years, the Indian squad has performed admirably under his leadership. He has the unique distinction of having led India to the World Group Qualification for the first time in history and has been instrumental in maintaining India in Group 1 of the BJK Cup. "According to what I've been told, certain Indian players have also voiced their faith in Vishal again and said that having Vishal lead the team on this significant national duty gives them inspiration. The news of his abrupt replacement, which occurred without any consultation with the AITA Executive Committee, was a great surprise, according to Kapur.

 

Due to his authority granted by the AITA Constitution, Kapur urged Chatterjee to take action. "In the past, the AITA EC held thorough talks and deliberated before appointing the captains of India's Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams." Kapur reminded the AITA VP of how the national team has struggled in the prestigious tournament and how India's singles players are suffering on the ATP Tour in a covert jab at India's Davis Cup performance. Another issue is that India's Davis Cup play has been steadily deteriorating recently, and as a result, India has been demoted to Group II of the World for the first time ever. Moreover, for the first time ever, there is not a single Indian player among the top 300 players in the world. Indeed, it is a serious problem for everyone, and the AITA Executive Committee has to meet immediately to consider issues like the Davis Cup team's and Indian players' performances. I beg you to please impress upon everyone concerned the need for an urgent meeting of the EC to discuss these crucial matters of Indian tennis. "I am saddened that while this depressing state of affairs is not being discussed in the EC, we are going ahead and removing a performing and respected captain of the Fed Cup without any deliberations."