Published: August 31, 2026 at 9:44 pm
Rohit Rajpal, who is the president of the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association, has thrown his hat for the All India Tennis Association (AITA) presidential elections.
Rohit Rajpal had played one Davis Cup tie for India against South Africa in 1990. He was also captain of the Indian Davis Cup team in 2019 and had also served as a team selector.
“It is after a lot of introspection and interactions with well-wishers in the tennis fraternity and other friends that I have decided to contest the forthcoming elections of the prestigious All India Tennis Association as President,” Rajpal stated in a press release issued on Monday.
“Tennis is not just a sport for me; it has been my life, since the time I was a young boy who wished to make it big. At 55, when many summers have passed, my heart still beats for Indian tennis. It is my dream and vision for India that a sport which has produced so many champions at home should grow further by leaps and bounds.
“It is the wish of millions of Indians that India gets to host the Summer Olympics in 2036. It could be the greatest opportunity to bring glory to Indian tennis by achieving a podium finish in home country. The potential is, indeed, explosive in cities as well as smaller towns and it is waiting to be ignited.
“When I started out as a young, aspirational tennis player in the 80s, I wanted to make it big. I worked very hard and went on to be the Asian Junior Champion and one of the top juniors in the world and also won many national and international titles, besides also being privileged to be an Asian Games medalist at the Beijing Asian Games. However, fate willed otherwise and I had to deal with a severe back injury. From finding the best doctors and physios to bounce back, it was futile as eventually a major back surgery was the only option. Thus, my playing career was cut short and I accepted it gracefully.
My heart has always been in sports: Rohit
“Even as a businessman, my heart has always been in sport, particularly tennis. Having been involved in tennis matters at large for almost a decade in AITA and DLTA has been a learning and enriching hands-on experience. As the non-playing Davis Cup captain of Team India in several Davis Cup engagements, it was enormously satisfying to be with and motivate our immensely talented players to give their best and bring glory to the nation by advancing to the second-round qualifiers. India will now play against South Korea this September for a place in the final eight nations. For those who say India does not have players in the Top 100, results in the Davis Cup are testimony to their skill and will.
“It has been my absolute and greatest honour to have tread progressively from representing India as a player, to be a winning Captain in multiple Davis Cup Ties, to be a Board Member of IOA, Office Bearer of AITA and President of DLTA and also, apart from tennis, to be given the onerous responsibility of putting Indian volleyball management and players back on track. It is satisfying that India won a bronze medal at the recent Asian Volleyball Championships. It has also been a singular honour and privilege to have led the Indian contingent as Chef de Mission at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It was a big learning and enriching experience for me to coordinate the day-to-day matters, looking after the elite Able-Bodied and Para Athletes at the CWG.
“I wish to place on record my thanks and gratitude to Govt of India, IOA and AITA for enabling me to successfully discharge whatever responsibilities I have been given in the past.
“This journey has given me the confidence to now step forward and announce my candidature as President of All India Tennis Association as a step forward in my desire to contribute to the growth and development of tennis in India.
“For this I humbly seek your active support and blessings. With your support, I plan to adopt player-centric approach and policies, good governance and transparency above all. I plan to share my vision document in due course.
“To my friends in the media who have always supported me and kept my conscience, I wish to express my most heartfelt thanks and look forward to your continued support,” Rajpal said in the release.
