Rohan Bopanna condemns ministry rule that drops five ranked tennis players from Asian Games squad
Two-time Asian Games champion Rohan Bopanna criticized the Indian sports ministry’s new rule that excluded five players who had qualified by ranking from the 2026 Asian Games tennis team.
Rohan Bopanna, a double Asian Games gold medalist, publicly challenged the Indian sports ministry’s revised selection criteria for the 2026 Asian Games tennis squad. The new guideline restricts the team to players ranked within the top eight in Asia, which led to the exclusion of five athletes—Manas Dhamne, Vaishnavi Adkar, Sahaja Yamalapalli, Vaidehee Chaudhari and Prarthana Thombare—who had secured their places through international competition.
Bopanna contended that the rule renders rankings meaningless when a committee can pre-emptively decide outcomes. He highlighted the broader impact on families and sponsors who invested in these players before any official backing. Emphasizing that sport should be decided on the court, he urged officials to let athletes compete based on their earned merit. The 2026 Asian Games are scheduled to start on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Why it matters
The controversy reveals how administrative rules can override athletes' earned qualifications, affecting careers and sponsor support.
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