One of the first Indian tennis players to make it to top flight tennis tournaments, Vijay Amritraj has worn many hats — athlete, commentator, even actor. The 58-year-old who at the peak of his career beat world-class athletes like John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors is saddened by the current state of Indian tennis, albeit the off-court action.
The legend believes that AITA could have averted the great Indian tennis drama which unfolded over the last month.
“I fail to understand why AITA had to wait so long. They should have sorted this issue out in November last year. They always knew the Olympics would be held in July-August this year and the dates would not change. You cannot hope to sort the problem a week before a championship like Wimbledon and most definitely not a month before the Olympics,” he said. Amritraj also felt that the combination of players playing could have been dealt with in a better manner.
“You always had only three players, where did you expect the fourth player to miraculously appear from? You (AITA) had a situation to deal with and you know about it,” said Amritraj.
Having played at the highest level and familiar with the pressure of playing on the big stage, Amritraj is of the opinion that the off-court pressure would not affect the performance of the players at the Olympics.”When you are on the court, you have to do what you are there for, there is no question of buckling under pressure,” said the former ace.