Disgruntled Indian Tennis Players Form New Association To Protect Their Interests

Top Indian tennis players have formed an association to "protect their professional interests" days after signing a temporary truce with the All India Tennis Association, according to Sudipto Ganguly of REUTERS. The Indian Tennis Players Association said in a statement that it would "function around the ATP model and act as a platform to represent the concerns of its members." Indian singles player Somdev Devvarman said in the statement, "We believe that the ITPA will provide the players a voice that will stand united in our concerns and suggestions for the improvement of the sport in the country." The AITA said that it would "wait for the association to approach the governing body for recognition and hoped it would not disrupt the ongoing discussions for a long-term understanding" (REUTERS, 2/11).

VOTING EQUALITY: THE HINDU reported all members of the ITPA would have "equal voting rights and elect a general body responsible for ITPA’s operations." The founding members of the ITPA include Davis Cup players Jaidip Mukerjea, Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman, Rohan Bopanna, Prahlad Srinath and Mustafa Ghouse, AITA VP Karti P. Chidambaram, Enrico Piperno, Manisha Malhotra and Aditya Sachdeva. Mukerjea will act as interim president "during the ITPA’s formative period" until the general council and the general body formally meet (THE HINDU, 2/11).