India emerged victorious against New Zealand in the Davis Cup tie, winning 4-1 after Ramkumar Ramanathan and Yuki Bhambri won their respective singles match on Sunday. Both the players showed their class, but Bhambri did not look too pleased with the All Indian Tennis Association and slammed them for their way of functioning.
Read: Bopanna miffed with AITA
India have produced some quality players in the last couple of decades including Leander Peas, Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza, who have all earned name and fame in world tennis. Bhambri slammed the AITA, which he believes has been the main reason for India not producing quality players on a regular scale, despite possessing some decent players.
The 24-year-old singles player, who is one of the best for India, also questioned AITA's desire, and believes Indian players have reached higher standards on their own.
"It's not about what can they do, it's about if they have the desire. I don't know if they have the desire. Everyone has come up in India by training by themselves and not through a system. Which is why we've had just one good player every 10 years," Indian Express quoted Bhambri as saying.
Youngsters like Bhambri and Ramanathan have showed that they can deliver in the biggest stages like the Davis Cup, but the AITA needs to make arrangements so that they continue to improve in their field. If a player features in major competitions, the chances of improving goes up, and outgoing captain of the Davis Cup Anand Amritraj feels that the AITA needs to pump more money and provide coaches.
"More money, more time, more resources, more tournaments. A travelling trainer and coach will also be a good idea because everybody seems to have one now," Amritraj said.
It remains to be seen how AITA reacts to such statements made by Bhambri in the open. However, this is not the first time that AITA has come under scrutiny by the players. Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman have also shown their disappointment with AITA of late.