"What has been your vision for tennis in last 30 years," Somdev Devavarman asked the All India Tennis Association after pulling out of the planned Centre of Excellence in New Delhi due to a drastic budget cut.
Former India player Somdev was supposed to head the Centre of Excellence. The Sports Ministry and AITA had agreed to invest Rs 20 crore to establish the Centre, on the lines of the Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad, but eventually the budget was brought down to Rs 10 crore.
"We had made plans based on a budget that was agreed upon. We built the plan around that and if it does not follow through, then it's impossible," Somdev told PTI in an exclusive chat.
"Tennis is a very international sport and to get best international expertise, you need to pay international rates."
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