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New Delhi, January 17
Sumit Nagal, a promising tennis player, has been dropped from the Indian Davis Cup team for the upcoming tie against New Zealand due to a serious breach of discipline, All India Tennis Association (AITA) sources have claimed.
It has been learnt that the 19-year-old, who grabbed eyeballs after winning the junior 2015 Wimbledon doubles title and made an impressive Davis Cup debut against Spain in September last year, skipped a practice session during the tie against South Korea in Chandigarh in July due to hangover. He was a reserve player in that tie.
“We got to know that he finished the mini-bar in his hotel room the previous night. He’s a talented player but when you are only 19 years old and you are getting a chance to be in the Indian team, this is not acceptable,” said the source.
Asked why he has been punished after almost six months of the incident, an AITA official said the incident came to light only after the squad for the Spain tie had been announced. “At that time we were not sure about it but later it was confirmed and we had to take a firm stand,” said the official.
Besides, Nagal’s decision to concede the dead fifth rubber against Spain’s Marc Lopez due to “breathing problems” also did not go down well with AITA.
“In the reverse singles, he did not want to finish the match. He kept on saying he wanted to retire since he was having breathing problem. He is a young player, if he is not able to play, what is the point of having him in the team?” said the source.
An AITA official, who did not wish to be named, said the door has not been closed on Nagal. “He has been set aside temporarily. He is a very good player and has a good future. He can always come back. But if you are not behaving properly, if you are not having any discipline, you have to reform,” the official said.
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