AITA declines to send Sumit Nagal's name for Australian Open wildcard entry

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) quashed Sumit Nagal's wildcard entry into next year's season-opening Grand Slam - Australian Open - after he refused to play India's Davis Cup tie against Pakistan.

The latest development left Nagal disappointed.

Nagal, currently ranked 138th, was vying to compete in the Australian Open but AITA chose not to send his name for consideration.

At the 2021 edition of the Australian Open, Nagal received a wildcard entry for a spot from the Asia-Pacific region that put him straight into the main draw of the season-opening Grand Slam.

“Anil Dhupar (AITA secretary general) had called me and said he won't send the nomination since I said no to the Davis Cup," Nagal was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

“To be honest, getting this call from him and hearing him say this was a bummer. I really hope things will get better in future or else tennis is going to die even faster in India," he added.

In November, Nagal and Mukund Sasikumar withdrew from India's Davis Cup fixture against Pakistan scheduled to be held in Islamabad in February 2024.

AITA secretary general Dhupar said, "One cannot expect to pull out of a Davis Cup assignment for the country and then expect something in return from the federation. Why should we send anything from our end to nominate him? AITA had to take a stand against such things at some point."

Nagal played a key role in India's Davis Cup World Group II home tie win over Morocco on the hard courts of Lucknow in September. Nagal won both his singles matches in India's 3-1 win.