Davis Cup | Unsure if players want to travel to Pakistan, says Mahesh Bhupathi
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With India’s Davis Cup tie with Pakistan date all but fixed, which would be taking place in Islamabad, team captain Mahesh Bhupathi has cast a dark cloud over players’ willingness yet again. The former Grand Slam winner has also stated that “tennis” hasn’t been a part of India’s DNA ever.
After numerous complaints by the AITA to the international tennis body and citing previous examples where security concerns had forced a Davis Cup tie out of a scheduled city, India have only managed to get their tie postponed by two months.
The tie, which was scheduled to be held in Islamabad on September 14-15, would now be played on November 29-30. However, the escalated diplomatic tension between the two countries isn’t expected to be solved by then and Bhupathi has admitted that his players aren’t very willing to travel to Pakistan.
"The (Davis Cup) tie is on. It will be played on grass in Islamabad on November 29-30. There are no issues from the government, but I am not sure if players want to go to Pakistan and play," said, Bhupathi reporters TOI.
Apart from, the former Indian international also threw light on India’s under achievements in the sport since its inception, stating that Tennis hasn’t been something that has come naturally to the Indians.
"Tennis is not in the DNA of Indians. That's why it is difficult to churn out Grand Slams champions. For us, it takes a minor miracle to produce one. Like in France, Spain, US, Argentina and other European countries, there are always 10 to 15 players competing," he added.
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