Indian Davis Cup Players Revolt

All of this helps me appreciate more just how good a captain Patrick McEnroe has been for the American squad.

Indian Davis Cup players have called for the ouster of captain Leander Paes for hurting team morale and confidence, a report said on Sunday.

he Times of India reported that four players -- Prakash Amritraj, Rohan Bopanna, Mahesh Bhupathi and Karan Rastogi -- sent a letter to the All India Tennis Association (AITA) saying they had lost faith in Paes's captaincy.

"We are not prepared to play Davis Cup if Leander is the captain. Sorry it had come to this, but up until now we did not have the courage to say anything and it only has gone from bad to worse," the paper quoted the letter as saying.

The controversy follows Paes's decision not to field Amritraj for the opening singles in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I first-round tie against Uzbekistan here earlier this month.

Paes questioned Amritraj's fitness and commitment, although the player insisted he was fit to play.

Amritraj, son of legendary former Davis Cup star Vijay, eventually figured in the decisive reverse singles on the final day to script his team's 3-2 victory.

"Playing Davis Cup for India is our greatest joy. We live for these ties, and through the year we prepare ourselves so we can peak for these occasions," the paper quoted Amritraj as saying.

"He (Paes) has basically killed that joy for us."

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