Sania Mirza and Bhupathi team up to fix Indian tennis

Indian tennis great Sania Mirza has joined hands with fellow legend Mahesh Bhupathi on the All India Tennis Association (AITA) Executive Committee, with a shared goal of improving Indian tennis.

Both were elected as Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) representatives to the AITA General Body before securing seats on the 15-member Executive Committee.

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

Sania secured 18 votes.

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

Earlier, in the SOM election for the General Body, Bhupathi and Sania secured 19 and 18 votes, respectively.

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

The AITA Constitution, amended in July 2026 in line with the National Sports Governance Act, provides for four SOM representatives in the General Body — two male and two female — and two SOM representatives in the Executive Committee, one male and one female.

With their inclusion in the Executive Committee, Bhupathi and Sania will not contest for office-bearer positions such as president, general secretary or treasurer in the upcoming AITA elections, scheduled for November 27, 2026.

Speaking after her election, Sania told ANI that the objective is to use their experience as professional athletes to understand what players need.

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

"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."

"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 added.

Sania emphasized the importance of building a comprehensive support system for emerging players.

Key areas she highlighted include quality coaching, guidance, tournament exposure, and fitness support, including access to physiotherapists.

The move marks a significant step toward greater representation of former athletes in the administration of Indian tennis.

Both Bhupathi and Sania have long histories as elite competitors — Bhupathi won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles, and Sania won six Grand Slam titles across doubles and mixed doubles, becoming the first Indian woman to win a WTA title.

Their election comes amid ongoing legal proceedings in the Delhi High Court regarding amendments to the AITA Constitution.

The court is scheduled to hear on November 6, 2026, administrator Justice (retd.)

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

Also scheduled is a contempt petition filed against AITA's interim office-bearers for alleged "active obstruction and suppression of information" from the administrator.

The broader governance reforms aim to give accomplished sportspersons a greater say in the functioning of national sports federations.

Sania acknowledged that change will not happen overnight.

In an exclusive interview with Times Now, she said, "Nothing's going to change overnight."

But the two legends now have a formal platform within the federation's executive structure.