
Zeeshan Ali resigned from being India’s Davis Cup coach after 11 years to focus on the National Tennis Centre’s growth.
One of the Indian Tennis greats, Zeeshan Ali, who was coaching during tennis match, declared the exit of his post as the coach of the Indian Davis Cup team, thus ending his glorious reign, which lasted over ten years. The 54-year-old former Davis Cup player, who assumed the coaching role in 2013, made up his mind that now would be the time to concentrate on the construction of the National Tennis Centre (NTC) in New Delhi.
Ali’s association with the Davis Cup finals team has been absolutely astonishing. He took up the mantle of being a coach after a tumultuous period when critical players from Indian tennis had rebelled against the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and demanded better playing conditions. Joining in place of Nandan Bal Zeeshan, he had to face a challenging situation, which he managed soon after.
He steered the team through tight ties, including a historical win against Pakistan during the Davis Cup finals at the beginning of the year.
Evaluating the circumstances, Zeeshan disclosed, “I decided to quit my coaching position in the Davis Cup finals team at that time because it was the right moment to do so. After being the captain, I got down to silvers as I wanted to be associated with a top-flight team. In the course of nine years of playing the Davis Cup, I was also the coach for 11 years, and I was the captain too. I don’t think there is such a person from any country who has the privilege and honor to do all these three things.”
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During his time, Ali who is the world best in lawn tennis, was closely associated with a few significant personalities in Indian world team tennis, such as SP Mishra, Mahesh Bhupathi, Anand Amritraj, and the current captain Rohit Rajpal. Even though there were problems, for example, not being paid sometimes, Zeeshan always stood by the team. His loyalty showed that his love for the sport was deep, and he was genuinely committed to pushing for the development of Indian tennis.
“Commander Rohit Rajpal did not want me to go,” Zeeshan disclosed, emphasizing that his dilemma was not influenced by economics. “For us, representing India holds a completely different meaning. According to the AITA, there’s no official contract as such that the coach needs to get paid. I was doing it purely for the love of the sport, purely because I wanted to be associated with the team and help our young players represent India again.”
Anil Dhupar, AITA’s Secretary-General praised you. “Yes, we have let him go. For 10 years he did it.” The headlines are there. “He was given pay for NTC, so no other payment was due to him,” Dhupar added.
Ali clearly stated that he is not completely stepping down from the Davis Cup position and can work with the team in the future if needed. “If the AITA wants my help or needs me to step in any way possible for Davis Cup finals, I’m always available for that,” he said. Nevertheless, his primary goal is now NTC, and he plans on spending himself to create the next tennis superstars in India.
My main aim is the NTC. In the following few weeks, you will be hearing about it. Also, the plans that the AITA has regarding the NTC will. That will take a lot more of my time and concentration to make sure the program works well and starts producing the champions of the next generation,” Zeeshan commented.
The Davis Cup team is gearing up for its next match in Stockholm against the Swedish team on September 14-15; new coach, former national grasscourt champion Ashutosh Singh, has been appointed for the new season. At age 41, Singh can bring to the table plenty of experience through his tenure, which has included the responsibilities of the captain and coach of the Indian tennis team at the 2017 Asian Indoor Games.
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Singh’s entry will stand out as a fresh beginning for the Indian Davis Cup team with Nagal on the helm and Ramanathan, Balaji, Poonacha, and Vishwakarma supporting. The advantage of Singh’s knowledge of the squad, as he was involved in their last-session preparation against Pakistan, will be an essential factor to India as they are going to compete against Sweden with the indoor challenging court conditions.
Zeeshan Ali steps back from his hard work and devotion in the field of Indian tennis, whereupon the national tennis community acknowledges his priceless contributions and should be optimistic about the awareness and growth of the sport at the National Tennis Centre, which is under his direction.
References:
https://sports.ndtv.com/tennis/zeeshan-ali-resigns-as-indias-davis-cup-coach-6337891
https://indiantennisdaily.com/2024/08/16/ashutosh-singh-named-indias-new-davis-cup-coach/
https://sportstar.thehindu.com/tennis/ashutosh-singh-replaces-zeeshan-ali-india-davis-cup-coach-aita-vs-pakistan-news/article68532993.ece
https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/tennis/story/zeeshan-ali-resigns-as-indias-davis-cup-coach-before-clash-against-sweden-2582154-2024-08-14
https://www.sportskeeda.com/sports/news-zeeshan-ali-steps-india-s-davis-cup-coach-11-years
