Exclusive! 'Genuinely not available' - Mahesh Bhupathi Weighs in on Sumit Nagal-AITA Controversy

Indian tennis great Mahesh Bhupathi has said Sumit Nagal was 'genuinley not available' to participate in the Davis Cup clash against Sweden after All India Tennis Association (AITA) accussed the singles player of skipping the tournament by faking an injury.

Nagal had 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. AITA had made certain accusations regarding Nagal's unavailablity and demand for money to play in the David Cup.

In an exclusive interview with MyKhel, former doubles world number 1 and multi-time grand slam winner Bhupathi weighed in on the Nagal-AITA controversy, saying the singles players was genuinely injured.

"I don't know how the controversy cropped up. I know Sumit is genuinely not available... You know he's struggling with an injury going into the US Open. Tested it out in singles. He pulled out of doubles because of too much pain," Bhupathi said.

"Then when I was in Dubai last week, he was there rehabbing twice a day there. Then he tried to go to China (Hangzhou). Unfortunately the back didn't work and he had to pull out in the first round."

Bhupathi also added that it sets a wrong precedent if someone is accussing the number one singles player of the country of faking an injury to skip participating in the Davis Cup.

"I find it frightening that somebody felt they need to accuse the number one player that he was faking a back injury to miss Davis Cup. You know that doesn't bode well at all," Bhupathi added.

AITA was furious that Nagal chose to skip Davis Cup last week by citing injury but "recovered miraculously" to compete in Hangzhou Open. However, Nagal withdrew from the ATP 250 tournament citing the same back issue.

There were also claims that there have been instances in the past when the country's leading players, including Nagal, had asked for money to play Davis Cup and those demands were accepted.

Meanwhile, Nagal did not deny the AITA claim as he put his defense through a statement on social media. Nagal had said representing the country was always "a privilege and an honour that I hold in the highest regard."

"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 jeopardize my health but also adversely impact the team's chances.

Earlier, AITA had made its displeasure known by saying that the country's top players, including Nagal, Yuki Bhambri and Sasikumar Mukund, refused national duty. It was India's best chance to beat Sweden in their own backyard but the team received a 0-4 hammering.

The AITA had also claimed that Nagal demanded an annual fee of USD 50,000 to play Davis Cup ties for India but the country's top singles player defended himself, saying it is "standard practice" for athletes to be paid for their services.

Nagal in his reply on social media said, "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.

"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."