Mumbai: India’s singles No.1 Sumit Nagal continues to remain absent from national duty as his name was missing from the team’s upcoming Davis Cup World Group I play-off tie against Togo, to be held in New Delhi in February.
The squad named on Friday, features the next highest ranked singles players in Mukund Sasikumar (368), Ramkumar Ramanathan (393), Karan Singh (473) and doubles No. 3 and 4 N Sriram Balaji (65) and Rithvik Bollipalli (72) respectively.
“Nagal has not responded to any email sent by AITA regarding his availability for the tie,” AITA secretary general Anil Dhupar said. “He has missed Davis Cup ties in the past as well, and it appears he does not wish to play for the country.”
Nagal, alongside the country’s other top pros including Mukund and Yuki Bhambri, had withdrawn from India’s previous Davis Cup fixture — an away loss against Sweden earlier this year — which created an uproar. While Nagal, the only Indian in the singles top 100, had cited physical issues for his withdrawal, AITA had alleged he had demanded monetary compensation to turn up for Davis Cup. Nagal had defended that as “standard practice”.
Nagal is currently in Australia gearing up for the season-opening Grand Slam next month in Melbourne. There has been plenty of friction in the past between Nagal and AITA, which elected a new set of office-bearers in September but with its elections challenged in court, continues to be run by the current committee.
Mukund, who has also in the past refused to play Davis Cup ties and had been reprimanded for it by AITA, however returns to the fold. “Mukund’s suspension has been revoked by the committee,” Dhupar said.
Bhambri, who is now the India No.2 in doubles behind Rohan Bopanna who has retired from national duty, continues to stay away.
From the squad that was blanked 4-0 in Sweden, teens Aryan Shah and Manas Dhamne along with Siddharth Vishwakarma and Niki Poonacha have been excluded. Karan, 21, has received a call-up and so has Rithvik who has risen to world No.72 in doubles and is set to make his Grand Slam doubles debut at the Australian Open.
India have not fielded their strongest possible squads for the last few Davis Cup ties but against Togo, which has only one player ranked in the ATP charts (Thomas Setodji at 1259), it should not have too much of an impact.
