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Sunitha Rao at the crossroads

By Kamesh Srinivasan

NEW DELHI AUG. 1. She has been dreaming of playing for India, but reality is staring hard at the U.S.-based Sunitha Rao at the moment.

Currently ranked 162nd on the WTA computer, and 24th among the 120 ranked players in the U.S. behind the likes of Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, the 17-year-old Sunitha had sought to represent India in a recent communication to the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

Sunitha's father Manohar Rao has been interacting with the secretary general of the All India Tennis Association (AITA), Anil Khanna, on the subject for the last few months.

Manohar had sought compensation from the AITA, for the money he had spent over the last 13 years in building Sunitha's career. Moreover, he had suggested that Sunitha would need about $100,000 a year for coaching support so that she could realise her potential and represent the country with distinction.

``Sunitha can take India into the World Group of Fed Cup. She can represent India in the Olympics, and in all the Grand Slams. She can't do that for free. I have spent about Rs. 5 crores so far," said Manohar from his base in Florida.

Manohar stated that a promise had been made to him on the support for Sunitha, but he said that the AITA was not willing to give him any financial guarantee.

``I heard from Anil Khanna in Wimbledon that the AITA would discuss the subject in a meeting on July 21. Recently, when I contacted, Anil told me that the committee would not approve of the idea of making any compensation. They have taken my approval on the subject in the letter to the ITF, and are going back on the promised support," said Manohar. Manohar stressed that he would withdraw the application from the ITF, which is likely to discuss the subject in September or so, if the AITA did not make a positive response to the situation.

Anil Khanna had all along maintained that he would be able to pay about $30,000 to $40,000 for Sunitha's expenses every year, and the rest may have to be raised by endorsements etc.

``In India I hear that even Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have no endorsements. I think the Government, the Federation and corporate houses can come forward on this issue as Sunitha can really do a lot of good to Indian tennis and take it to a different level," said Manohar.

The situation is such that the United States Tennis Association (USTA) which had supported her all along had recently stopped doing so, as it came to know about Sunitha's application to represent India. Sunitha had been part of USTA's programme earlier, and had represented the U.S. in the under-14 international team competition.

In fact, in the World Team Tennis Smash Hits 2002 programme, that raised $700,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Sunitha Rao played along with Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.

Billie Jean King, Sir Elton John and Ally Baker were the others in the celebrity event.

``The USTA has stopped giving us financial support, and all wild cards for Sunitha have been stopped. We are feeling cheated. My daughter has been mentally preparing to play for India. She is devastated now, said Manohar.

Nirupama Sanjeev had reached up to a career best rank of 134, and had managed to win a round in the main draw of the Australian Open. At the moment, Manisha Malhotra at 332 is the best-ranked Indian, while Sania Mirza (419) and Rushmi Chakravarti (429) follow her.

In her only junior event this season, Sunitha reached the quarterfinals of singles in Wimbledon, in which she was seeded No.1. She had lost in the final qualifying round of the women's event in Wimbledon. She had reached the semifinals of the Australian Open junior event in 2001, and the quarterfinals last year.

There may not be any doubt about the potential of the athletic Sunitha Rao to make it into the top 100 of WTA in the near future, but it would be tough to eke out money from India, with or without the support of the national federation.

Reacting to the situation, Anil Khanna said that there was never any promise made to Sunitha's father, who had obviously spent a lot of money. "India is different from the U.S. We can't afford to buy players. We can't compensate for money spent in the past. We have our limitations. It is for the parents to make a final decision. If she plays for India, and wins tournaments, there will be very good support for Sunitha, said the AITA secretary.

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