New Delhi: The All India Tennis Association on Thursday claimed that Sumit Nagal demanded an annual fee of $50,000 to play Davis Cup ties for India but the country's top singles player defended himself, saying it is "standard practice" for athletes to be paid for their services.
Nagal had opted out of the recent Davis Cup tie against Sweden, citing a back strain that also forced him out of the US Open men's doubles competition last month.
It was India's best chance to beat Sweden in their own backyard but competing without a singles specialist, the team received a 0-4 hammering. Packed with doubles players and debutants, the team could not even win a set in the World Group I tie.
AITA, on Tuesday, made its displeasure clear by saying that the country's top players, including Nagal, Yuki Bhambri and Sasikumar Mukund, refused national duty.
Nagal had entered the ATP 250 Hangzhou Open and was scheduled to play on Thursday but withdrew citing the same back issue.
"You tell me why should a player be asking for money to play for the country. This is a big question. He had demanded an annual fee of USD 50,000 (approx 45 lakh) and said if he is not paid, he will not play," Dhupar told PTI.
Largely restricted to World Group I, India play only two ties in a single season -- in February and September.
"Let the country decide if it is right or not. Then, it is the decision of the government and everybody. The players are also paid by TOPS. And it's not that they don't get paid for playing the Davis Cup. They do get paid," Dhupar insisted.
The AITA head was referring to the prize money that AITA receives from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for Davis Cup participation and distributes among team members.
For a World Group I tie, AITA gets around Rs 30 lakh and 70 per cent of it is distributed among the participating players while the remaining 30 per cent is kept by the national federation to manage administrative expenditure.
The prize money goes down for a lower group tie.
"No other player asked for additional money over and above their share of the ITF prize money." A former India Davis Cupper confirmed to PTI that there have been instances in the past when the country's leading players asked for money to play Davis Cup and those demands were accepted.
Nagal did not deny the AITA claim as he put his defense through a statement on social media.
"Regarding compensation, I want to clarify that it is standard practice in professional sports for athletes to be compensated for their participation in events, even when representing their country.
"This is not about personal gain. My discussions with AITA and the Davis Cup Captain are confidential and I would not like to indulge in any speculation about this," he wrote in his statement.
AITA was furious that Nagal chose to skip Davis Cup last week by citing injury but "recovered miraculously" to compete in Hangzhou Open. Nagal withdrew from the ATP 250 tournament, two days after AITA came out with its statement.
Nagal said representing the country was always "a privilege and an honour that I hold in the highest regard." "It was a difficult decision to withdraw from the Davis Cup...However, after consulting with my medical team, it became clear that competing while carrying an injury could not only jeopardize my health but also adversely impact the team's chances.
"I believe it is better for the team and for the country to have someone at 100 per cent rather than risking further injury and potentially disrupting the match. I had informed AITA well in advance about my inability to participate," he wrote, defending his decision to pull out.
It has been learnt that captain Rohit Rajpal had taken Nagal's proposal to the AITA Executive Committee which, after initial reluctance, agreed to pay him but asked the captain to renegotiate the figure.
However, before an agreement could be reached, Nagal withdrew from the tie and the discussion on the matter ended without progress.
Nagal, during the tie, criticised AITA on social media platforms, saying many of them were there just to enjoy junkets.
He further justified his break.
"In professional sports, injury management is a complex science. Sometimes, just a few days of rest and targeted rehabilitation can make the difference between aggravating an injury and being fit to play again." Nagal said he was committed to the country.
"I look forward to future opportunities to wear the national colours and make my country proud, both on and off the court." Nagal had skipped the tie against Pakistan too early this year, conveying to the team management that the contest was being played on grass court and his game was more suited to the hard surfaces.
Skipper Rajpal is also being criticised on social media with many questioning his credentials to be a Davis Cup captain.
Rajpal was appointed captain in 2019 in place of Mahesh Bhupathi, who was reluctant to travel to Pakistan citing security concerns.
A team official said, there was nothing wrong in getting paid like cricketers but then tennis players should also come accept coming through a selection process.
"They want contracts but do they play Nationals? Do they come to the national side through selection trials like shooters and badminton players? Tennis players get paid through Davis Cup prize money and also funded by the government through TOPS," he asserted.