Tennis legends Bhupathi, Mirza land top AITA roles

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

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

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

Mirza secured 18 votes.

Both were first elected as Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) representatives to the AITA General Body.

In the General Body election, Bhupathi received 19 votes and Mirza received 18 votes.

The AITA Constitution, amended in line with the National Sports Governance Act in July 2026, created the SOM category.

The amendment provides for four SOM representatives in the General Body — two men and two women.

It also reserves two seats in the 15-member Executive Committee for SOM representatives — one male and one female.

Bhupathi and Mirza now occupy those two EC seats.

Ashutosh Singh and Shalini Thakur Chawla were the other two candidates elected as SOM representatives to the General Body.

Singh, the current Davis Cup coach, received 17 votes in the General Body election.

Chawla, a former Billie Jean King Cup captain, received 16 votes.

Other candidates in the General Body election included Janaki Krishnamoorthy (15 votes), Vishal Uppal (9 votes), Gaurav Natekar (8 votes) and Ankita Bhambri (7 votes).

In the Executive Committee election, Janaki Krishnamoorthy received 13 votes and Vishal Uppal received 7 votes.

With their EC seats secured, Bhupathi and Mirza cannot contest for office-bearer posts such as president, general secretary or treasurer in the upcoming AITA elections.

Speaking after her election, Mirza told ANI that the immediate priority is understanding what players need.

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

Mirza stressed that the long-term vision is unified.

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

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

She also emphasized the need for a comprehensive support system for upcoming players.

That system, she said, should include quality coaching, tournament exposure, guidance, fitness support and access to physiotherapy.

Bhupathi, speaking after the results, highlighted the turnout.

"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.

"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.

The SOM roster consists of 40 former players.

The election marks a shift toward greater representation of former athletes in Indian tennis administration.

For decades, critics have argued that AITA lacked input from players who had competed at the highest level.

Bhupathi won 12 Grand Slam titles in men's and mixed doubles.

Mirza won six Grand Slam titles in women's and mixed doubles and reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 27.

Both have been outspoken about the need for reform in Indian tennis.

Their election comes amid ongoing legal proceedings involving AITA.

The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear on Friday, November 6, 2026, a request from administrator Justice (retd.)

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

The court is also set to hear a contempt petition filed against AITA's interim office-bearers.

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