Mumbai: Veteran tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi threatened, on Monday, to drag AITA to the court for ousting him from India’s Davis Cup squad along with Rohan Bopanna, saying he was exploring if the national federation’s move was legal.
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) had banned Bhupathi and Bopanna from representing the country until June 30, 2014 on disciplinary grounds.
AITA had taken the decision hours after India’s young Davis Cup team took an unassailable 3-0 lead against New Zealand in Chandigarh on Saturday.
Bhupathi will address a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday to give his side of the story and reveal his next move.
“Rohan has played for India for 10 years and I have played now for about 18 years now. And to get slapped with something like this, I take this as rough,” Bhupathi said.
“We are exploring it, we don’t know yet but I don’t think what they have done and the way they have done it, is fully legal.
“So we are exploring it what they have done is right and obviously if not legal, we are going to go after it,” he added.
Asked if he felt the AITA action was because of a personal vendetta, Bhupathi replied in the affirmative, saying, ” Yes, [I] believe so.”
“It’s been going on with me and association and heads of the federation for years now.
“I am just upset and afraid that my friend and partner Rohan has got caught in the middle of this dirty game. I have been quiet for a long time,” he stated.
AITA had chosen Bhupathi to play with Leander Paes at the London Olympics but both he and Bopanna refused the pairing and instead forced the AITA to pair them together for the Games.
AITA had to accede to their demand at that time but has now taken the action saying it will not tolerate indiscipline.
Both Paes and Somdev Devvarman had made themselves unavailable for the Davis Cup tie, but AITA said that their act did not amount to indiscipline as they had made a request to be excused from the round of matches. (PTI)