As none of the eight revolting players have made themselves available for Davis Cup selection, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) on Tuesday said anyone who refuses to play for India will not be entitled for the financial support from the government.
The national tennis body has proposed to get Rs 15 lakh each for players featuring in top-200 in singles and Rs 12 lakh for those who get into the bracket of 201-300 through the Long term Development Plan (LTDP) from the government.
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The figure is Rs eight lakh for players, who are ranked between 301-500 and aged below 28.
In the doubles, the figure is Rs seven lakh for players in top-50 and Rs four lakh for those featuring in 51-100.
"We are not going to beg for the funds for players who are not interested in doing national duty. They have brought the game to disrepute by their act despite that we addressed their concerns honestly," AITA CEO Hironmoy Chatterjee told said.
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"The government is also watching what's happening. They are aware of it. We have been transparent in this issue. The players who want to play for India will get all the support," he added.
The AITA also feels that the young players would be the biggest losers in the ongoing controversy and advised them not to risk their India cap at this stage of their respective careers.
Yuki Bhambri is the highest ranked Indian players in singles at 237, followed by Sanam Singh (293). Vishnu Vardhan is 344 and Saketh Myneni is 385. In the doubles, apart from Leander Paes (3), Mahesh Bhupathi (11) and Rohan Bopanna (12) -- all feature in top-20 -- left-handed Divij Sharan is the fourth highest Indian at number 106.
Since tennis involves a lot of travelling and money to be in the circuit, it will be interesting to see if the players are willing to sacrifice this support.
"The young players are talented. They should carefully think of their careers. They should not risk their India careers," the AITA CEO said.
With the revolting players in no mood to change their stance, the federation is mentally prepared to pick other players for the South Korea tie, beginning February 1 in New Delhi.
"Now some players are playing politics. It is no more just the concerns," said Chatterjee.
The revolting players on Monday rejected the AITA proposal and insisted that all their demands be met as it is.
The players did not accept Zeeshan Ali as coach, insisting that Aditya Sachdeva should be made the coach. They also did not want S P Misra to remain captain for even for his farewell tie and want either Rohit Rajpal or Anand Amritraj as the next captain.
They also did not agree with AITA's proposal to get a physiotherapist from the Sports Authority of India, proposing Yash Pandey's name as their choice.
The players have also insisted that the team should consist of six players instead of four and the fifth and the sixth player should also be considered for the sharing of prize money.
