Zeeshan Ali on Wednesday announced that he has resigned as the Indian coach, insisting that it was time to focus on the development of the National Tennis Centre (NTC). Zeeshan had replaced Nandan Bal as India’s Davis Cup coach in 2013 after 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, after regular skipper Rohit Rajpal missed out on the job due to personal reasons.
Zeeshan told PTI, “I felt that this is the right time to resign from the post of Davis Cup team coach. Because after being the captain, I wanted to end my tenure as the Davis Cup team coach on a good note. I submitted my resignation the day before yesterday.”
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 that this is not a hasty decision.
“I have played Davis Cup for over nine years, I have been the coach of the Davis Cup team for 11 years and then captained the team. I don’t think there is anyone from any country who has had the privilege and honour of doing all three of these jobs.” Zeeshan was not paid for his role as per the AITA system at times during his tenure, but that was not the reason for his decision.
“Captain Rohit Rajpal insisted that I stay in the team. I have been coaching the Davis Cup team for so many years and there have been times when I have not been paid for it. But money was never the reason I was working with the team. Representing India has a completely different meaning for us.”
“According to AITA, there is no official contract under which the coach should be paid. I was doing it purely for the love of the game, purely because I wanted to stay associated with the team and purely because I wanted to help our young players and represent India again. For me, it is a privilege and an honour to represent India.
AITA Secretary General Anil Dhupar said Zeeshan was being paid adequate salary as NTC director.
“We have accepted his resignation. He held the post for 10 years. He was being paid salary for NTC, so he was not paid extra,” Dhupar said.
Zeeshan said that as far as Davis Cup is concerned, he is “not closing any doors.”
“If AITA needs my help or needs my support in any way for Davis Cup, I am always available for it,” he said.
“I felt that as far as the National Tennis Centre is concerned, I needed to focus on other things or possibilities and plans that the AITA has going forward.
“It’s not just a question of 2-3 weeks of Davis Cup competition. It’s a question of monitoring the players’ performance throughout the year, communicating with them and it goes far beyond just 2-3 weeks.
“I have worked in the same way for the last several years. In all these years, there has never been a situation where the federation or the players have come and said they need a replacement.
“Resigning isn’t something I did on a whim. It’s something I’ve been thinking about.”
“My full focus is on the NTC. In the coming weeks you will hear about that as well; about AITA’s plans with regards to the NTC. So, that will require a lot of time and attention from me to make sure that the programme runs well and make sure that the programme starts producing the next generation of champions, and that is where my focus and energy will be now.”
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