Fed up with the Fed Cup?

Neha Uberoi, of Indian descent but based in the US, was given a wild card for the main draw and is one of two players vying for eligibility to play for India in the Fed Cup. The other, Sunitha Rao, also living in the US, made the main draw by default after Marlene Weingartner pulled out.

Shikha Uberoi has a high enough ranking to get an automatic place in the country’s Fed Cup squad and, given the trend, so would Sunitha and Neha.

So, if the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) has its way, we could have an Indian Fed Cup squad made up of US-based players, barring of course, Sania Mirza — and that is what has spread some alarm among the Indians.

‘‘Being an Indian and staying in India obviously doesn’t help’’, said Rushmi, who has been a regular in the Fed Cup squad for about seven years now. ‘‘We don’t have sponsors and have to finance our trips abroad. So, we can’t play many tournaments and that doesn’t help our rankings. On the other hand, the girls who are based in the US are better off financially and play lots of tournaments, which helps their rankings. But it doesn’t help them enough to represent the US. So, what better place than India, although they would think twice about going through the grind here?’’

Rushmi’s finger pointed towards the AITA’s tactics of taking the easy way out. ‘‘When they have readymade players, why bother to nurture indigenous talent?’’

Back in 2003, when Sunitha’s father had asked the AITA to pay up for his daughter’s training if they wanted her to play for India, the association turned its back. The stakes are higher and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the AITA yields to desperation in the end.