New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) India’s non-playing Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal on Saturday clarified that his “shut up” remark was aimed at a few “agenda-driven” people who were systematically targeting him and was not directed against the country’s tennis. community as was projected.

In a candid interview with PTI, Rajpal said that people questioning his qualifications as Davis Cup captain should do a little research and that he is not someone who would cling to the position in the face of resistance from the players.

Rajpal, who is largely a non-controversial person, sparked controversy after India’s 0-4 loss to Sweden in the previous Davis Cup match in Stockholm, when he told his detractors to “shut up”. keep quiet.”

Rajpal, 54, admitted that he should not have reacted after being provoked during the media interaction. Rajpal said his strong reaction was a result of the frustration he felt after the defeat in front of a good number of Indian fans.

“I myself follow the Indian tennis community. I’m part of the association, I’m part of so many things. My life has been tennis. I could never even dream of something like that, saying shut up to the Indian community. Why should I do this? Rajpal said during his visit to the PTI headquarters in Delhi.

“I would never think of disrespecting someone like that, but I also shouldn’t have reacted even to those three or four guys to be very honest. But the question was asked in such a bad way and that even in front of my team sitting next to me, I felt humiliated Rajpal said he knew the people who wanted him to step down, but he would not make their names public.

“What really bothered me is that one person creates a narrative in a bad way and it continues, and no one even bothers to go back and see the tape, to get into the details,” he said, clarifying that the question had not been asked. on behalf of the entire Indian tennis community but its “haters”.

Rajpal took over as captain in 2019 when then-captain Mahesh Bhupathi opted not to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns.

At the time of his appointment and during his tenure, his credentials were questioned. He played only one Davis Cup match in his career: a draw against Korea in 1990.

He was, however, part of the bronze medal winning team at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing.

So, does he feel he deserves to lead India in the Davis Cup? “Whether I deserve to be there or not is not a decision I would want to justify. It depends on the Executive Committee, which is supreme.

“There are enough people who know tennis there. They have been in sports administration since we were kids, so I’m sure they make a balanced decision.

“The second area is my players. The day I sense that my players feel that someone else will do a better job, I am the first to step aside myself. I don’t need to be told to go. I am ready to leave even today. As the discussion turned to his own playing career, Rajpal said he was a perfect example of “what not to do”.

“I had to stop because I slipped two discs in my back. Before that, I beat some really good players. I played at the highest level. No one can take it away from me. I am a medalist at the Asian Games.

“I am also Asian champion but I never choose to talk about it because I don’t want to blow my own trumpet.

“I come back from the group of players who always said: let your racket do the talking. Mahesh Bhupati and Somdev, when they were playing, they themselves recommended my name and put a condition to AITA for me to be the captain. Rajpal said he overtrained due to a lack of guidance and that this interrupted his career, during which he beat Leander Paes several times and lost very close matches to greats such as Wayne Ferreira and Tim Henman.

“I had a bad habit when I look back, which cost me my career, was getting up at 5 a.m. and running 20 kilometers on the road.

“At that time we didn’t have good padded shoes. We had a local shoe that sponsored me. And I ran in this shoe seven days a week. Every day of my life, I ran 20 kilometers on the road to build my endurance.

“And then obviously, I’m a good example, as my coaches say, of what I didn’t know how to stop. I only stopped when it was dark. I just believed that hard work would get me through. He remembers the days when he challenged some of the top-ranked players in the world.

“I had the chance to train in Sweden and with Harry Hoffman in Tampa, Florida. I was training with Jim Courier at that time and he was a hitter. And after a busy day, he would leave and I would train for another two hours after he left, to become better than him.

“I trained too much. And that’s how my career ended very quickly. At 19, 20 years old, I was already a guy with two herniated discs in my back and a very bad left leg. Wayne Ferrera, when I played him, he was ATP world number 11. It was a close match.

“Tim Henman, again, a top player and I don’t need to tell you his credentials. It was a very close match, I lost in the tie-break of the third set.

“And I don’t blame some people for not being able to know these things. Like I told you, people don’t do research anymore. People no longer look at things in depth. People only look at things from the surface, right? And that’s a sad part.

“I’m not trying to justify, you know, or blow the trumpet. But I played at a world-class level myself. And nothing, no one can take it away from me. PTI AT AT AH AH

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