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Hans India
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Hans India
SAI asks tennis players to prioritise national duty
India's tennis players who receive financial assistance through various support schemes should prioritise national duty and refusal to play for India without 'valid justification' will result in recovery of funds from them, according to a Sports Authority of India (SAI) order. Making players accountable for funds received, the SAI, in its order, has asked the players, selected for support under the Target Asian Games Group (TAGG), to provide a written undertaking where they acknowledge that receiving financial assistance carries the responsibility of contributing to the nation's sports excellence. The matter came up for discussion when athletes' names were discussed for inclusion in TAGG, according to a source. In its order, SAI asked players receiving support under TOPS, NSF and TAGG schemes to confirm their availability and willingness to represent India in 'esteemed international events such as the Billie Jean King Cup, Davis Cup, Asian Games, Olympics.' 'The above tennis competitions hold significant national pride. Therefore, it is important that all players benefiting from the support, provided under these schemes prioritize representing India if selected by the All India Tennis Association (AITA). 'We would also like to inform you that, in the event of selection by the NSF, should you decide not to participate without valid justification, the financial assistance provided to date will be subject to recovery in accordance with the applicable guidelines,' the SAI order read. Modelled on the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), TAGG was launched in April this year with an aim to boost India's medal tally at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. There have been several instances in the past when players have refused to play the Davis Cup.
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
SAI Orders Tennis Players To Turn Up For National Duty On Priority, Funds To Be Recovered In Absence
Last Updated: SAI instructed players receiving support from schemes such as TOPS, NSF and TAGG to confirm their intent and availability to represent the tricolour at international events. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) issued an order to Indian tennis stars who have received financial assistance through various schemes to prioritise representing the nation and added that failure to turn up for national duty without valid justification would result in the recovery of funds from the players. SAI instructed players receiving support from schemes such as TOPS, NSF and TAGG to confirm their intent and availability to represent the tricolour at events such as the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, Asian Games and Olympics. SAI asked players who receive assistance from the Target Asian Games Group to pen an acknowledgement that the financial support carries with it the responsibility to contribute to the nation's sporting goals. 'The above tennis competitions hold significant national pride. Therefore, it is important that all players benefiting from the support, provided under these schemes prioritize representing India if selected by the All India Tennis Association," the order read. 'We would also like to inform you that, in the event of selection by the NSF, should you decide not to participate without valid justification, the financial assistance provided to date will be subject to recovery in accordance with the applicable guidelines," it continued. 'The government wanted the players to be accountable and there is nothing wrong in it. The government has added players names for support but it also wants them to be available for national duty when required," Rajpal said. 'An excellent move. Representing India, our great nation is the biggest honour and should be non negotiable specially if you receive government support," Uppal added. (With Inputs From PTI)
Wales Online
a day ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Queen's tennis crowd brutally boo star as atmosphere turns bitter on TV
Queen's tennis crowd brutally boo star as atmosphere turns bitter on TV Corentin Moutet was already playing against the fans at Queen's as he faced British No. 2 Jacob Fearnley, and matters only got worse when the Frenchman smashed a ball into the stands Corentin Moutet confronted the umpire while 2-5 down in the final set (Image: BBC ) Corentin Moutet, the French qualifier, faced the ire of spectators at the Andy Murray Arena after he angrily hit a ball into the stands. The crowd was already against him, with British No. 2 Jacob Fearnley on the opposite side of the court. However, the atmosphere turned bitter when Moutet, in frustration, struck a ball away after being broken in the decisive third set, leading to a chorus of boos echoing around the centre court at Queen's Club. Subsequently, Moutet received a code violation warning. Moutet is a contentious character on the tour, reports the Express. The world No. 89 has been handed numerous code violations throughout his career and has even been disqualified from matches. He once had his funding withdrawn by the French Tennis Federation. Article continues below His matches are always expected to be dramatic, and this was certainly the case when he took on Fearnley in the second round of the HSBC Championships at Queen's. Moutet, who qualified for the main draw here, managed to force a final set after losing the first. However, after being broken at 1-1 in the third set, he became frustrated and hit a ball away. As Moutet returned to his bench, now trailing by a break, the crowd began to boo. Chair umpire Adel Nour promptly announced a code violation for ball abuse. "Moutet is going to be in all sorts of trouble here," BBC commentator Sam Smith observed. Corentin Moutet of France looks on against Jacob Fearnley of Great Britain (Image: Getty Images ) John Lloyd highlighted the fortune of Moutet not injuring anyone with his shot, remarking: "Certainly made sure he didn't hit anybody in the stands with that ball. He hit that about half a mile away. That was a brilliant passing shot from Fearnley to break there. "Here we go, this one went a long way up. Got to be careful when you do that, I remember Davis Cup with [Denis] Shapovalov. He did that but didn't get the angle right and smacked it straight at the umpire. Immediate default." Smith responded: "The minute you start hitting the ball about, even if it's at the back netting, into the stands, you're in big trouble and that's an automatic warning. Very good umpiring from Adel Nour who has tried to also diffuse the situation. It's always going to be tricky with Corentin on the court." Further tension arose as the world No. 89 received a time violation while serving to stay in the match at 1-5 and snapped at a spectator to "shut up" after being heckled. He fended off match points to remain in contention before challenging the umpire, exclaiming: "Say time violation whenever it's on zero, that's your only job? They are talking to me," in frustration. Article continues below French player Corentin Moutet blasted the umpire after being handed a time violation, saying: "I have three balls in the hand and it's 10 seconds, and then you give me a time violation and you say don't talk to me. What's wrong with you? In sunglasses and you're making the rules, that's funny. I'm running every day three hours and you're telling me what to do. That's crazy. One point I explain it to you and you give me a time violation. Oh my god, this guy is crazy! It's killing me, killing me every day." Following the argument, Fearnley continued and won the match, securing a 6-3 2-6 6-2 victory to advance to the quarter-finals in his first appearance in the tournament. Despite the tension on court, Moutet showed good sportsmanship by shaking hands with his opponent at the end.
Hans India
a day ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Bengaluru to host prestigious Billie Jean King Cup play-offs
Bengaluru: In a historic first, Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) will host Group G ties of the prestigious Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium in Bengaluru on 14, 15 and 16. This will be the first time ever that the Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs will be held on Indian soil. The Playoffs will feature 21 nations split into seven groups of three teams each. In a unique format, every group tie will be hosted by a nation, and the venues were formally announced following a draw held on Thursday in London. India recently qualified for the Playoffs, only for the second time in its history, following a spectacular performance in the Asia/Oceania Group I tie held in Pune. India qualified along with New Zealand for the playoff, following its 2-1 win over Korea. Both New Zealand and India had four wins each in the six-team competition. The only other time India qualified for the playoffs was in April 2021 when they played in Latvia which saw Jelena Ostapenko lead her team to a 3-1 victory over India. India are in Group G along with Slovenia and the Netherlands and the five-member Indian team will feature Ankita Raina (rank 292), a top singles player from the country along with Sahaja Yamalapalli (rank 301), Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (rank 313), Vaidehi Chaudhari (rank 405) and Prarthana Thombare, the top-ranked Indian doubles player ranked No.136, the KSLTA informed in a release on Thursday. In other groups, Canada, Mexico, and Denmark will feature in Group A, and Group B includes Poland, New Zealand, and Romania while Group C features Slovakia, Switzerland, and Argentina. Group D will have Czechia, Colombia, and Croatia, and Group E will have Australia, Portugal, and Brazil. Germany, Belgium, and Turkiye are in Group F. The KSLTA has been at the forefront of hosting international tennis events and have been a host to Davis Cup ties, ATP World Doubles Championships, WTA Tour Events, ITF Women's $100K, ATP Challengers, ITF World Tennis Tour events, and this would also be a first for KSLTA to host the prestigious Billie Jean King Cup. In their endeavour to provide invaluable exposure to young players and fans across the country, the leadership at KSLTA bid to host the Billie Jean King Cup play-offs when India qualified last month. 'Hosting the prestigious BJK Cup playoffs at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium will be a historic moment for us at KSLTA and we believe it will elevate India's profile in the global women's tennis. It has always been our endeavour to host top international tennis events in Bengaluru, and we have world-class facilities here which equip us to host an event of this repute,' expressed Priyank Kharge, Senior Vice President of KSLTA and Minister of IT & BT & RDPR, Govt of Karnataka. Sunil Yajaman, Joint Secretary of KSLTA and Tournament Director of the event said, 'We were absolutely thrilled when India qualified for the playoffs and their performance was outstanding. There is a lot of promise with young tennis players performing exceptionally well and a home playoff tie can be a huge fillip in boosting the growth of the sport particularly at the grassroots and also inspire potential talent. "We are very delighted to be chosen as one of the host countries for the playoffs and we look forward to welcoming the players and officials to Bengaluru. I believe this would be a rare opportunity for sports-loving citizens of Bengaluru to witness this prestigious event happening for the first time in India. We also feel this would be a great opportunity for the Indian team to perform at its best as all the players are well-adapted to the conditions here. We thank the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for choosing Bengaluru to host this exciting event,' he added.
Deccan Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- Deccan Herald
SAI asks tennis players to prioritise national duty; to recover funds for non-participation
SAI asked players receiving support under TOPS, NSF and TAGG schemes to confirm their availability and willingness to represent India in 'esteemed international events such as the Billie Jean King Cup, Davis Cup, Asian Games, Olympics'.
