Let’s admit it. Personal problems take up a lot of media space in almost every important sportsperson’s life. However, Indian tennis players in recent years have occupied the lion’s share of such controversies.

Whether it be Sania Mirza’s patriotism becoming the subject of public scrutiny, Leander Paes’ continuous tussle with former live-in partner Rhea Pillai or even Mahesh Bhupathi’s differences with the All India Tennis Association, most Indians would have somewhere questioned why this happens so much only in tennis.

There are good things, of course, in Sania Mirza winning the WTA finals along with Zimbabwe’s Cara Black in the doubles section, a feat that only Vijay Amritraj had managed as an Indian when he won the ATP finals partnering American Dick Stockton back in 1977.

There is good also in India finally being able to get the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams play here as part of Mahesh’s International Premier Tennis League or Amritraj’s Champions Tennis League promoting India’s own stars in a grand manner.

But 2014 has once again posed a big and rather embarrassing question. First Sania, along with other top men’s players in the country, came under heavy criticism for skipping the Asian Games in Incheon to focus more on their professional career. Although Sania later reversed her decision to be a part of an Indian contingent that won five out a possible seven medals at South Korea, there was a lot of bitterness exchanged between India’s Olympic Committee, the players and the national tennis federation.

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