Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal’s outburst clearly suggests Indian tennis is headed for disaster

Indian Davis Cup non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal's outburst at the media on Sunday, after the team was thrashed by Sweden, reeks of high-handedness and his inability to deliver results.

Everyone knows Rajpal is in cahoots with the All India Tennis Association bosses. If not, he wouldn't be the captain of the Davis Cup side, given his lack of pedigree.

Sample this, over 35 years back, Rajpal played one Davis Cup rubber for India. Surely, there are many more Indian former Davis Cuppers who can do a better job. It is well known, most of the player have not been able to strike a rapport with Rajpal.

Last September, Rohan Bopanna retired after his last tie in Lucknow. After that, there have been issues as well, due to which Yuki Bhambri and even Sumit Nagal have been reluctant to play the Davis Cup.

Rewind to the 2024 February away tie against Pakistan in Islamabad, Zeeshan Ali was non playing captain as well as the coach. Now, Zeeshan has also stepped away from the team and a new coach who has not played a single Davis Cup tie has been named to assist Rajpal. For the record, his name is Ashutosh Singh, who has never been a player worth repute in yesteryears.

Back to Rajpal and his outburst, it was least expected. One does not expect the captain to use words like "shut up" and show anger. If he has failed to deliver results, then he must resign. Everyone knows, Rajpal is incompetent and the top players like Nagal and Yuki Bhambri do not want to play under him. It is shocking, the AITA has been keeping quiet and allows Rajpal to continue despite all the problems.

It was also interesting to read on Monday a series of posts on X from Rohan Bopanna as to what ails Indians tennis. He has side-stepped the Rohit Rajpal outburst but Bopanna has made it clear Indian tennis needs an overhaul. He has suggested restructuring the domestic tournament structure at home, paying more attention to the grassroot level and also having a decent number of ITF/ATP events at home. The situation at home is alarming, there are no players with a decent ranking. Due to his own efforts, Sumit Nagal has broken into the Top 100. Rohan Bopanna is in Top 10 because of his own toil. If you look at the women's section, the lack of players is even more galling.

People like Purav Rajaj, a former doubles player has also used social media to target Rajpal and also said players like Somdev Devvarman must be brought on board by the AITA. There is no dearth of 'volunteers' who will want to put their hand up and want to contribute to India. But the problem is, the AITA wants incompetent people like Rajpal.

Anyone who has followed the structure of Indian tennis at home will vouch, it is a pathetic one. Tennis is an expensive sport and many careers have ended because players have not been able to fund themselves or find sponsors. It is also well known, tennis coaches in India are outdated and have not kept abreast or upgraded their coaching skills. Last but not the least, Indian tennis needs a massive overhaul.

Just imagine, if Sumit Nagal and Bopanna retire one day, there is none to take over. With people like Rohit Rajpal being offensive and using such aggression it is clear he has not been in control. Tennis has produced top players off and on, almost like rain drops in a desert. If the AITA exists, then it has to show some results, not be a mute spectator.