Nadal and other players sign letter against Spanish tennis body chief

Nadal is one of those who have signed the letter

Madrid, June 29 (IANS) The organisation of Spanish tennis was in chaos on Monday after 44 current players, former players and coaches signed a letter denouncing the way that Spanish Tennis Federation president Jose Luis Escanuela has been running the federation.

The letter signed on Sunday states it is "with the aim of dealing with the deteriorating situation within Spanish tennis," and goes on to list seven major problems in the eyes of those who have signed it, Xinhua reported on Monday.

Among those who have given their support to the letter and the opinions expressed within it are Spanish men's number one Rafael Nadal and women's number one Carla Suarez, along with other players such as David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, Fernando Verdasco, as well as former players such as Manolo Santana, Carlos Moya and Alex Corretja.

They have been several complaints including "bad management of the trademark 'Tenis Espana' which has not allowed it to be correctly exploited", as well as the "inexistence of understanding between the different groups in Spanish tennis which has led to an alarming decrease in the number of licenses and players".

However, perhaps the most damming criticism is of Escanuela's "chaotic and belligerent" management which has "put his personal interests ahead of those of the sport".

Last week saw Escanuela, who was responsible for the decision to make Gala Leon the captain for the Spanish Davis Cup side despite opposition from the majority of players, temporarily relieved of his position for a month, while Gala Leon is reported to have offered her resignation before having captained one single match.