What's the story?
Indian tennis ace Somdev Devvarman has written a long, explosive letter to the All India Tennis Association expressing his grief on how the organisation treated young Sumit Nagal ahead of a crucial Davis Cup tie against New Zealand on the grounds of “serious breach of discipline.”
As per reports, Sumit was found hungover during practice sessions and also brought his girlfriend during the match against Spain without any permission. "What is it you're exactly trying to accomplish is my question to you," said Devvarman in the open letter to the AITA.
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Previously, AITA gave a justification on why the 19-year old was dropped from the team, “We got to know that he finished the mini-bar in his hotel room. He is a very talented guy but when you are only 19 years old and you are getting a chance to be in the Indian team and you miss practise sessions, it’s not acceptable.”
In case you didn't know...
Devvarman retired from professional tennis on the first day of 2017 which came as a shock to many, considering he is only 30. He has struggled with injuries and form for the past two years and will no longer represent India in the international level.
Devvarman was once the top-ranked Indian player, but his form went downhill after his injury in 2012 and 2013.
Also Read: Somdev Devvarman and his illustrious career: A look back
The heart of the matter
Devvarman inquired about the intentions of AITA to make such public allegations against a player and informed that he would also “expose the AITA for the incompetent tennis running body they are”. He clearly stated that if the parent body had any problem with Sumit Nagal, then it was preferable to sit with him and have a discussion about the matter rather than exploiting his image in public like they did.
The Agartala-born player also questioned whether AITA was trying to cover up its selection committee, which selected only a 5-member team for the upcoming Davis Cup tie, apart from overlooking senior player Rohan Bopanna.
Sportskeeda’s take
With Somdev making an exit from the international arena, a huge space had to be filled up in the Indian team, and Sumit Nagal was definitely a player for the future. Now, it will be interesting to see how he copes up after such an unfortunate incident.
Somdev’s letter to AITA
