Sania Mirza and Bhupathi Elected to AITA Executive Committee

Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza are set to be the two Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) in the 15-member All India Tennis Association Executive Committee that will be formed later this year after fresh elections.

The two were chosen from a roster of 40 players on Thursday, November 5, 2026.

They are also among four SOMs elected to the AITA General Body.

Current Davis Cup coach Ashutosh Singh and former Billie Jean King Cup captain Shalini Thakur Chawla are the other two former players in the General Body.

The AITA Constitution, which was amended in line with the National Sports Governance Act back in July, provides for four SOM representatives in the General Body (two male and two female) and two in the AITA Executive Committee (one male and one female).

With Bhupathi and Sania set to take their places in the Executive Committee, they will not be able to contest the polls for other office-bearer posts such as president, general secretary and treasurer.

However, it remains to be seen in which direction proceedings in the Delhi High Court with respect to amending the AITA Constitution go.

The High Court is scheduled to hear on Friday, November 6, administrator Justice (retd.)

Gita Mittal's request to implead the AITA Trust and the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association for corruption.

The court is also scheduled to hear the contempt petition filed against AITA's interim office-bearers for "active obstruction and suppression of information" from the administrator.

Bhupathi polled 23 votes, the highest among the candidates in the Executive Committee election.

Sania secured 18 votes.

Janaki Krishnamoorthy received 13 votes, while Vishal Uppal polled seven.

Earlier, Bhupathi and Sania were elected to the General Body as SOM representatives after securing 19 and 18 votes, respectively.

Ashutosh Singh, with 17 votes, and Shalini Thakur Chawla, with 16, were the other two elected representatives.

With their inclusion in the Executive Committee, the two former players will not contest for office-bearer positions in the upcoming AITA elections, scheduled for November 27.

Speaking after her election, Sania Mirza expressed happiness and said her primary objective, alongside Bhupathi, would be to use their experience to help improve Indian tennis.

"I think that we are just trying to use our experience to try and understand what the players need more," Sania told ANI.

"I think that it's too early to answer the question exactly what, because there are still a lot of things to be put into place with the president, vice president, EC."

"There are many things still to be done," she added.

"But we're very happy to be elected in the general body, and I think our vision and our goal are one, which is to try and make Indian tennis better."

"And I think all of us come together here with that vision," she said.

Sania also stressed the importance of building a comprehensive support system for upcoming players, including quality coaching, tournament exposure, guidance, fitness support and access to physiotherapists.

The amended AITA Constitution is a key part of this story.

The National Sports Governance Act, passed by the Indian parliament, requires national sports federations to include former athletes in their governing bodies.

The AITA amended its constitution in July 2026 to comply with that act.

That amendment created the SOM positions that Bhupathi and Sania now occupy.

The SOM category is designed to bring the perspective of accomplished sportspersons into the administration of the sport.

Under the new rules, the AITA General Body now has four SOM representatives — two men and two women.

The Executive Committee has two SOM representatives — one man and one woman.

This is intended to ensure that former players have a direct voice in decision-making about tournaments, player development, coaching appointments and financial allocations.

The upcoming AITA elections on November 27 will determine who holds the office-bearer positions of president, general secretary and treasurer.

Because Bhupathi and Sania are already in the Executive Committee as SOMs, they cannot run for those office-bearer posts.

But their presence in the Executive Committee means they will have a vote on many of the key decisions the federation makes.

The Delhi High Court proceedings add a layer of uncertainty.

Justice (retd.) Gita Mittal has been appointed as the administrator of AITA by the court.

She has filed a request to implead the AITA Trust and the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association for corruption.

She has also filed a contempt petition against AITA's interim office-bearers.

The contempt petition alleges "active obstruction and suppression of information" from the administrator.

The court is scheduled to hear both matters on Friday, November 6.

The outcome of those hearings could affect how the AITA Constitution is further amended and how the elections on November 27 are conducted.

Sania Mirza is one of India's most decorated tennis players.

She won six Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, including the Australian Open women's doubles in 2016 and multiple mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open.

She reached a career-high ranking of No. 1 in women's doubles in April 2015.

Mahesh Bhupathi is a pioneer of Indian tennis.

He won 12 Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles.

He was the first Indian to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era, winning the French Open men's doubles in 1997 with Rik Leach.

Bhupathi and Sania have a long history of partnership on the court.

They won the mixed doubles title at the 2009 Australian Open together.

They also played mixed doubles at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Now they are partnering again, but this time in the administrative arena.

The AITA has faced criticism in recent years for its handling of player development and tournament scheduling.

Indian tennis has produced few top-100 singles players in the last decade.

Sania herself has spoken about the need for better infrastructure and support for young players.

Bhupathi has been involved in tennis administration before, having served as a member of the AITA's advisory committee.

But this is the first time either of them has held an elected position in the federation's executive body.

The SOM election process involved a vote among AITA members.

The roster of 40 players from which Bhupathi and Sania were chosen included current and former Indian tennis players.

The exact composition of the roster has not been disclosed.

But the fact that Bhupathi received the highest vote total — 23 — indicates strong support among the electorate.

Sania's 18 votes also placed her comfortably ahead of the other candidates.

The AITA General Body election saw Bhupathi get 19 votes, Sania get 18, Ashutosh Singh get 17 and Shalini Thakur Chawla get 16.

Those four will serve as SOM representatives in the General Body.

Only Bhupathi and Sania will move on to the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee is the smaller, more powerful body that makes day-to-day decisions for the federation.

It has 15 members total, including the SOMs, office-bearers and representatives from state associations.

The exact date for the formation of the new Executive Committee has not been announced.

But it is expected to happen after the November 27 elections for office-bearers.

Until then, the current interim office-bearers remain in place.