Tennis
Zeeshan Ali Resigns as Head Coach of Indian Davis Cup Tennis Team
His resignation comes only a month before India's next Davis Cup tie against Sweden.
Zeeshan Ali's stint as the Indian Davis Cup Head Coach began in 2013. (Photo Credit: ITD)
Zeeshan Ali announced his resignation from the role of coach for the Indian Davis Cup team on Wednesday, just a month before their upcoming match against Sweden.
In a statement to PTI, Zeeshan, who is 54, confirmed, "I have resigned as the coach of the Davis Cup team."
His resignation comes ahead of India’s next Davis Cup tie against Sweden, scheduled for September 14-15 on a hard indoor court in Stockholm.
Zeeshan Ali began his professional tennis career in the late 1980s, showcasing versatility and skill as he represented India in various international tournaments.
He was appointed as the non-playing captain of the Indian Davis Cup team for the landmark tie against Pakistan earlier this year, stepping in due to regular captain Rohit Rajpal's inability to travel to Islamabad for personal reasons.
The Indian team, led by Zeeshan Ali, traveled to Pakistan for the first time in 60 years and won their Davis Cup tie against arch-rivals Pakistan 4-0. This victory marked their eighth consecutive win over Pakistan and secured promotion to World Group 1.
Reflecting on his 11-year tenure as coach which began in 2013, Zeeshan said,
"I’ve been coach of the Davis Cup team for 11 years now. To top it all, I was also the captain of the Davis Cup, the historic tie that we played against Pakistan in Pakistan earlier this year. I don’t think there is anyone from any country who has had the privilege and honor of doing all these three things."
He added, "There have been players who were captains, but I don't think there has been a situation where a player was a coach and then the coach was also the captain of the team. Having done all these three things, I felt that I had already achieved whatever there was to achieve as far as the Davis Cup was concerned. And frankly speaking, I have been thinking about this for quite some time now."
Throughout his career, Zeeshan has made significant contributions to Indian tennis, collaborating with renowned players such as Leander Paes, Anand Amritraj, and Mahesh Bhupathi.
