Zeeshan Ali announced on Wednesday that he had resigned as India’s coach, insisting it was time to focus on developing the National Tennis Center (NTC). Zeeshan replaced Nandan Bal as India’s Davis Cup coach in 2013 when the country’s top players revolted against the AITA, demanding better playing conditions, and refused to play against Korea in New Delhi. Zeeshan, 54, captained the country in the historic tie against Pakistan, which India won in Islamabad earlier this year, with captain Rohit Rajpal absent from the mission due to personal reasons.
“I felt now was a good time to step down as coach of the Davis Cup team. Because after being captain, I wanted to end my association as coach of the Davis Cup team on a high note. day before yesterday,” Zeeshan told PTI.
During Zeeshan’s tenure, he worked with SP Mishra, Mahesh Bhupathi, Anand Amritraj and current captain Rohit Rajpal.
Zeeshan, son of former Davis Cup coach Akhtar Ali, said it was not a decision taken in haste.
“I played Davis Cup for more than nine years, I was coach of the Davis Cup team for 11 years and then I was captain of the team as well. of doing all three of these things. “Zeeshan, during his tenure, was often not paid for his role under the AITA system, but that was not the reason for his decision.
“Captain Rohit Rajpal insisted that I stay. I have been coaching the Davis Cup team all these years and often never got paid for it. But money was never the reason I worked with the team. For us, representing India has a completely different meaning.
“According to the AITA, there is no official contract by which the coach needs to be paid. I was doing it purely out of love for the sport, simply because I wanted to be associated with the team and simply because I wanted to help our young players and represent India again. For me, it was also a privilege and an honor to represent India.
AITA general secretary Anil Dhupar said Zeeshan was being paid sufficiently as Director of the NTC.
“We have accepted his resignation. He did this for 10 years. He was being paid by NTC, so no further payment was made to him,” Dhupar said.
Zeeshan said he was “not closing any doors” when it came to the Davis Cup.
“If AITA wants my help or needs me to intervene in any way for the Davis Cup, I will always be available for that.
“I felt like I needed to focus on other things or perspectives and plans that AITA has for the future as far as the National Tennis Center is concerned.
“It’s not just a matter of 2-3 weeks of Davis Cup competition. It’s a matter of tracking the players’ performance throughout the year, communicating with them and that goes beyond just 2-3 weeks.
“This is how I have operated all these years. In all these years, there has never been a situation where the federation or the players came and said they needed a replacement.
“Resigning is not something that happened in the heat of the moment. This is something I’ve been thinking about.
“All my focus is on the NTC. You will be hearing about that as well in the coming weeks; about the plans that AITA has in relation to the NTC. So that will require a lot more of my time and focus on making sure the program works properly, in ensuring the program begins to produce the next generation of champions, and that’s where my focus and energy will be now.”
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