Tennis Legends Bhupathi and Sania Join AITA Leadership

Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza are set to become 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.

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 administrator Justice (retd.)

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

The court will also hear the contempt petition filed against AITA’s interim office-bearers for “active obstruction and suppression of information” from the administrator.

Bhupathi and Mirza were elected to the General Body as SOM representatives after polling 19 and 18 votes respectively.

In the Executive Committee election, Bhupathi polled 23 votes, the highest among the candidates, while Mirza secured 18 votes.

Janaki Krishnamoorthy received 13 votes and Vishal Uppal polled seven in the Executive Committee election.

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

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

Speaking after her election, Sania said the objective was to use their experience as professional athletes to understand the requirements of players and contribute towards the development of 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.”

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

Bhupathi expressed a similar sense of purpose.

“I think 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, 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,” he added.

Shalini Thakur Chawla also expressed her gratitude after being elected to the General Body.

“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. I look forward to working collectively with all elected members to strengthen Indian tennis and create better opportunities for our players and coaches,” he said.

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

That Act was designed to bring transparency and democratic functioning to national sports federations in India.

One of its key provisions is the inclusion of former athletes in governing bodies through the SOM category.

The 40-member SOM roster includes former players who have represented India at the highest level.

As per the amended constitution, four SOM representatives — two men and two women — are elected to the General Body.

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

That is how Bhupathi and Mirza now find themselves in the EC.

The election itself drew significant participation from the SOM roster.

Bhupathi noted that 31 former players showed up to vote, a strong turnout given that many had never received support from AITA in their playing days.

Some traveled from as far as Hong Kong to cast their ballots.

The election results signal a desire among former players to be part of the administrative process.

But the path forward is not entirely clear.