The one good factor AITA did in the previous few years was shut down: Zeeshan Ali

Zeeshan Ali.
| Photograph Credit score: File picture: PTI

For greater than a decade, Zeeshan Ali was omnipresent in Indian tennis. He was the Davis Cup coach beginning 2013 and was the pinnacle of the Nationwide Tennis Centre (NTC) from December, 2020. However, throughout a number of manic months in late 2024, Zeeshan resigned as coach, and the NTC closed down, as reported in these pages just lately. In an interview with The Hindu, the 55-year-old addressed each points. Excerpts:

Was any motive supplied for NTC’s closure?

No. However one thing I heard was that the programme was not profitable. However a failed programme wouldn’t have produced 10 Nationwide champions [across age-groups]. And by no means did the All India Tennis Affiliation (AITA) ask me to current my perspective. In case you are saying ‘we’ve not produced anyone who’s enjoying a Grand Slam, Olympics or Asian Video games’, properly, it’s not doable in three years.

How might have the NTC helped Indian tennis?

Take a look at somebody like Karan Singh… he was working with me for 3 years, received the junior Nationals, reached the finals of senior Nationals and made it to the Davis cup staff. He’s a major instance of what the NTC might do. While you’re working a non-public academy, you may give the scholars free teaching, health coaching and lodging. You can’t pay ₹25,000 or ₹30,000 every week for journey, and people quantities double overseas. Solely the federation will help. NTC ought to have been scaled up, with a bunch of gamers travelling with a coach, a health coach and a physio. Sadly, none of that occurred as deliberate.

You resigned as Davis Cup coach and it appeared you’d be solely specializing in the NTC…

That may very well be stated, however one motive was that I didn’t receives a commission. Once I went as Davis Cup Captain to Pakistan (February,2024), I simply acquired half the cash I used to be speculated to get. I used to be informed, ‘try to be glad you have been made captain. Why are you asking for cash?’ However I used to be solely asking what was resulting from me. The final straw was after they refused to acknowledge me because the captain after we got here again after profitable. I used to be nonetheless acknowledged because the coach, which is an honour. However I ought to have gotten my due.

What’s probably the most unlucky fallout of NTC’s closure?

Anyone who talks about Indian tennis now has solely acquired adverse issues to say. That’s not serving to. It’s come at a time when pickleball is gaining recognition. It’s extra organised and there’s a lot more cash. About two months in the past in Delhi, there have been so many tennis gamers at a pickleball match. Mihika Yadav, No. 1 lady in India in pickleball, was at all times a tennis participant. The federation needs to be saying, ‘okay, these gamers needs to be integrated again’. However as a substitute, the one good factor the AITA did for the gamers in the previous few years was shut down.