Tennis legends Bhupathi and Mirza land top AITA roles

Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza have been elected to the Executive Committee of the All India Tennis Association.

The two tennis legends secured their spots in the 15-member EC as Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit representatives.

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

Mirza received 18 votes.

Their election follows a wider reform push in Indian sports governance.

The AITA Constitution was amended in July 2026 to align with the National Sports Governance Act.

The amendment created reserved seats for former athletes of outstanding merit in the General Body and the Executive Committee.

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

The Executive Committee has two SOM positions, one reserved for a male and one for a female.

Bhupathi and Mirza fill those two EC seats.

Before the EC vote, both were first elected to the AITA General Body.

Bhupathi received 19 votes in the General Body election.

Mirza received 18 votes.

Ashutosh Singh, the current Davis Cup coach, and Shalini Thakur Chawla, a former Billie Jean King Cup captain, were the other two SOM representatives elected to the General Body.

Singh polled 17 votes.

Chawla received 16 votes.

The other candidates in the General Body election were Janaki Krishnamoorthy with 15 votes, Vishal Uppal with 9, Gaurav Natekar with 8, and Ankita Bhambri with 7.

In the EC election, Janaki Krishnamoorthy received 13 votes and Vishal Uppal polled 7.

Bhupathi and Mirza, now on the EC, cannot contest for office-bearer positions such as president, general secretary, or treasurer in the upcoming AITA elections.

Speaking after her election, Sania Mirza said the goal is to use her and Bhupathi’s 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,” Mirza 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.

“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.”

Mirza also stressed the need to build a comprehensive support system for upcoming players.

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

Bhupathi, speaking after the election, noted that 31 SOM members showed up to vote.

“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.

“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, and we believe that we can put a structure together to make change.”

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

Ashutosh Singh, elected to the General Body, 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.”

Shalini Thakur Chawla also expressed gratitude after her election.

“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.

The elections took place from a roster of 40 SOM members.