Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna’s social media statements about the Tokyo Olympics qualification row were disrespectful and deceptive, according to All India Tennis Association Secretary-General Anil Dhupar.
After Rohan Bopanna slammed the AITA for misleading him, the media, and the public about the qualification process for the men’s doubles event at the Tokyo Olympics, Anil Dhupar chimed in. Sania Mirza defended the veteran tennis player, claiming that the Indian tennis governing body cheated India out of a medal opportunity in the mixed doubles tournament.
“Twitter comments by Rohan Bopanna and then Sania Mirza are inappropriate, misleading and without knowledge: they should have checked the rule book of ITF regarding qualifications,” the AITA quoted Dhupar as saying.
AITA clarifies qualification ambiguity
Rohan Bopanna could not have qualified as per ITF Rules. Therefore Sania Mirza’s tweet is also baseless and coming from a player of her stature, is condemnable. Fact of the matter is that India’s best entry was sent for Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan, which was the correct decision. However, they did not qualify as per ITF rules. Our players’ rankings were not good enough for direct qualification, and we made all efforts to get them in. Rohan and Divij were fifth on alternate list on 16th July. Only on 16th July, when Sumit Nagal got a chance in Singles, we saw a possibility, since singles players were also being considered, of Sumit being able to partner with Rohan. We asked ITF whether the entry of Sumit Nagal will suffice to pair with Rohan Bopanna for an entry into Mens Doubles. ITF informed us that this cannot be done at this stage because of various reasons and rules. Even if it is done, the pair would still not qualify. – AITA Statement
The AITA had recommended that the International Tennis Federation (ITF) pair Sumit Nagal and him for the doubles event at the Tokyo Games after the teenager had made the cut for the men’s singles tournament earlier in July, according to reports. After the former pair failed to secure a straight berth with their combined doubles rating, the AITA reportedly withdrew Divij Sharan’s nomination and sent Nagal and Bopanna’s names.
However, Bopanna claimed that the ITF answered to his inquiry by stating that it had never received any nominations for the Nagal-Bopanna pairing and that no additional nominations were allowed after the June 22 deadline. Bopanna appeared irritated by rumours that AITA had sent his name to the Olympics, giving him false hope of a spot.
Sania Mirza expressed her surprise in response to the article, claiming that the lack of clarification may have denied India a legitimate chance at a medal in the mixed doubles event. Notably, Mirza stated that if Bopanna had received a ticket to Tokyo, she and her partner would compete in the mixed doubles tournament.
“Whaaattt???If this is true then it’s absolutely ridiculous and shameful..by this it also means that we have sacrificed a very good shot at a medal in the mixed doubles if you and I would have played as planned. We were both told that you and Sumit’s names have been given (sic),” Sania said in a tweet.
Sumit Nagal will represent India in the men’s singles event at the Tokyo Olympics, while Sania will compete in the women’s doubles event with Ankita Raina for the fourth time. The Games will begin on June 23 in Japan’s capital city, Tokyo.
