Tag: Davis Cup

  • India may miss Davis Cup match hosted by rival Pakistan

    India may miss Davis Cup match hosted by rival Pakistan

    India may be forced to forfeit a Davis Cup play-off hosted by rival Pakistan, with the local tennis association saying Thursday the team was waiting on New Delhi’s approval to travel.

    The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought several wars since winning independence from British rule in 1947, and sporting contests between the two have long been the victim of their enduring animosity.

    The All India Tennis Association (AITA) asked the sports ministry for approval to travel to Pakistan after a request to shift the fixture to a third country was rejected by the International Tennis Federation tribunal.

    “The proposal is still pending with the ministry and we are awaiting a decision,” AITA secretary-general Anil Dhupar told AFP.

    Pakistan Tennis Federation president Salim Saifullah Khan said 18 members of the Indian squad had requested visas for the World Group 1 clash scheduled for February 3-4.

    “We have all the arrangements put in place. They will be given the best security and accommodation,” he told AFP. “Let politics be kept away from sports and better sense prevail.”

    New Delhi last hosted the Pakistani tennis team in 2006 and the Indian Davis Cup team last travelled to Islamabad in 1964, according to news outlet India Today.

    Local media reports said a 2019 match was moved to Kazakhstan, with the AITA citing political tensions as the reason for the request.

    Sports matches between India and Pakistan are rare owing to decades of hostility between the two nations.

    They share one of the world’s great sporting rivalries in cricket, by far the most popular sport in both countries.

    But their teams have not played a bilateral series in more than a decade, and typically only face each other in larger tournaments.

    India refused to travel to Pakistan for the 50-over Asia Cup in September, a move that forced its neighbour to partially relinquish hosting duties to Sri Lanka.

    Pakistan travelled to India the following month for the Cricket World Cup after its request to stage some matches in a third country was rejected.

  • India’s Davis Cup tie in Pakistan shifted to neutral venue

    India’s Davis Cup tie in Pakistan shifted to neutral venue

    India’s Davis Cup tie against Pakistan at Islamabad this month must be played at a neutral venue after the latest advice from the International Tennis Federation’s independent security advisors, the world governing body said on Monday, Reuters reported.

    According to the details, the Asia/Oceania Group I tie, originally scheduled for Sept. 14-15 in Islamabad, was postponed by the ITF to Nov. 29-30 following a security review amid political tensions between the bitter neighbors.

    The All India Tennis Association (AITA) had asked the ITF to shift the tie to a neutral venue.

    “As per the Davis Cup Regulations, the Pakistan Tennis Federation now has the choice to nominate a neutral venue and has five working days to confirm their proposed venue,” the ITF said in a statement.

    Pakistan expelled India’s ambassador and suspended bilateral trade and all public transport links with its neighbor in August after New Delhi removed “special status” from its portion of the contested region of Kashmir.

    The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought two wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.

    They came close to a third in February after a deadly attack on Indian police by a Pakistan-based militant group resulted in air strikes by both countries.

    The AITA had named a six-member squad in August for the tie against Pakistan but a couple of players and captain Mahesh Bhupathi had made themselves unavailable to travel to the neighboring country due to security concerns.

    While the national governing body chose Rohit Rajpal in Bhupathi’s absence, they will soon name a new team for the tie with Bhupathi having made himself available again.

    “We are very happy and welcome the ITF decision about the venue change,” AITA General Secretary Hironmoy Chatterjee told Reuters by phone. “We will wait for the PTF to choose the venue and then name our team.”

    Pakistan was forced to host Davis Cup ties at neutral venues for more than a decade as teams refused to travel to the country citing security concerns.

    They played their first home tie after a gap of 12 years against Iran in 2017, while Hong Kong were relegated and fined by the ITF after refusing to travel to Pakistan the same year.

    An Indian tennis team last traveled to Pakistan in 1964 for a Davis Cup tie, defeating the hosts 4-0, while Pakistan lost 3-2 on their last visit to India in 2006.

    Multiple doubles Grand Slam winner Bhupathi said it was great news and he was “of course available” to captain the side now that the tie has been moved out of Islamabad.

    “I think it’s just a sensible decision with the current situation,” he said in a text message.

    “Davis Cup is already a high pressure situation and having additional stress on security issues was not ideal for anyone.”

  • Indian tennis captain seeks ‘safety guarantee’ before travelling to Pakistan

    Indian tennis captain seeks ‘safety guarantee’ before travelling to Pakistan

    Indian tennis captain, Mahesh Bhupathi, has demanded a “safety guarantee” before travelling to Islamabad for next month’s Davis Cup clash against Pakistan.

    The unusual demand comes days after the International Tennis Federation (ITF) responded to another Indian request for the second round of security assessment by a green signal to the safety plan in place.

    “We just want guarantees on safety,” Bhupathi was quoted as saying by reports.

    The All India Tennis Association (AITA) said on Wednesday they had written to the sport’s governing body once again asking them to shift the tie to a neutral venue or to postpone it for a couple of months until tensions simmer down.

    In reaction to New Delhi’s unilateral action to abrogate Article 370 of the constitution and strip occupied Kashmir of its special status, Pakistan last week asked Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria to leave, suspended bilateral trade and all public transport links with India.

    Tensions are soaring on both sides of the border ever since.

    ITF has already responded to a previous AITA request, saying they were satisfied with the current safety plan in place in Islamabad.

    The AITA has named a six-member squad under Bhupathi for the September 14-15 tie. The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men’s tennis. It is run by the ITF and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format.