Bopanna blasts sports ministry rule as five tennis players miss Asian Games squad
The sports ministry's guidelines limited the Asian Games tennis squad to players ranked among the top eight in Asia. As a result, Manas Dhamne, Vaishnavi Adkar, Sahaja Yamalapalli, Vaidehee Chaudhari and Prarthana Thombare missed out on selection.
Two-time Asian Games gold medallist Rohan Bopanna has criticized a change to India's tennis squad for the 2026 Asian Games. The sports ministry ruled that only players ranked among the top eight in Asia could be selected, leaving out five players who had earned their positions through rankings. Manas Dhamne, Vaishnavi Adkar, Sahaja Yamalapalli, Vaidehee Chaudhari and Prarthana Thombare were among those affected.
Bopanna expressed concern over the decision, questioning the value of rankings and qualification. He argued that the committee making the decision had no understanding of the players' achievements, and that the outcome had already been determined before they had even competed. Bopanna emphasized that opportunities in sport should be based on merit and results, not pre-approval.
He urged parents and sponsors who had supported the players to reconsider their judgment, as the decision sends a clear message that their support does not matter. Bopanna concluded by emphasizing that sport should be about the players' hard work on the court, not decisions made in a boardroom. The 2026 Asian Games are set to begin on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
