Tennis legends Bhupathi and Mirza join AITA to revive the sport

Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza are among four Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit elected to the AITA General Body.

Both have also secured seats in the 15-member AITA Executive Committee.

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

Mirza secured 18 votes.

Janaki Krishnamoorthy received 13 votes and Vishal Uppal polled seven.

The election took place on Thursday, November 5, 2026.

The All India Tennis Association held the vote under its amended constitution.

The amendment, passed in July 2026, aligns AITA with the National Sports Governance Act.

Under the new rules, four SOM representatives are elected to the General Body: two men and two women.

Two of those four — one man and one woman — then take seats in the Executive Committee.

Bhupathi and Mirza filled those two EC slots.

Ashutosh Singh and Shalini Thakur Chawla were the other two elected to the General Body.

Singh received 17 votes; Chawla got 16.

Janaki Krishnamoorthy received 15 votes in the General Body race.

Vishal Uppal got nine, Gaurav Natekar eight and Ankita Bhambri seven.

A total of 31 SOMs turned up to vote.

Bhupathi called that turnout significant.

"It was very heartening to see 31 SOM show up to vote, even though none of them have ever got any support from AITA in the past," Bhupathi said on Thursday.

"So it shows that they wanted to come from different parts of India. Some flew from Hong Kong to show their support for what we believe in."

Bhupathi said the mandate gives him and Mirza a platform to build a new structure.

"We believe that we can put a structure together to make change," he said.

"And the fact that Sania and I are in the EC now I believe we can put a structure together sooner than later."

Mirza echoed the sentiment.

"Our vision and our goal are one, which is to try and make Indian tennis better," she told ANI.

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

She cautioned that change will take time.

"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," she said.

"There are many things still to be done."

Mirza stressed the need for a comprehensive support system.

She listed quality coaching, tournament exposure, guidance, fitness support and access to physiotherapy as priorities.

Shalini Thakur Chawla, elected to the General Body, also spoke.

"I look forward to contributing positively towards the growth of Indian tennis, representing the interests of our sporting community and working together for a stronger future," she said.

Ashutosh Singh, the current Davis Cup coach, thanked the tennis fraternity for its support.

"This is both an honour and a responsibility," Singh said.

"I look forward to working collectively with all elected members to strengthen Indian tennis and create better opportunities for our players and coaches."

With Bhupathi and Mirza now in the Executive Committee, they cannot contest office-bearer posts.

That means they are barred from running for president, general secretary or treasurer in the upcoming AITA elections.

Their role is limited to the EC, where they will have a vote but no executive office.

The SOM roster includes 40 former players.

The amended constitution gave them a formal voice in AITA governance for the first time.

But the election took place against a backdrop of legal turbulence.

The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear a case on Friday, November 6.

Justice Gita Mittal, the court-appointed administrator, has filed a request to implead the AITA Trust and the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association.

Her request cites corruption.

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

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

The court's ruling could reshape the governance structure Bhupathi and Mirza just entered.