News Desk |
India’s Davis Cup tie against Pakistan was to be held at Islamabad next month. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Thursday the match has been postponed till November under “exceptional circumstances” after a security review. The All India Tennis Association had last week written to the ITF asking them to shift the Sept. 14-15 tie to a neutral venue or postpone it until political tensions simmer down between the bitter neighbors.
“Following an in-depth security review of the current situation in Pakistan by independent expert security advisers, the Davis Cup Committee has taken the decision to postpone the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I tie,” ITF said in a statement. “The committee concluded that this is an exceptional circumstance while the first priority of the ITF is the safety and security of athletes, officials and spectators.
The ITF has issued the following statement regarding the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I tie between Pakistan and India. pic.twitter.com/vLVtC0Cwik
— ITF Media (@ITFMedia) August 22, 2019
“The tie has been rescheduled for November, with the exact dates to be confirmed by the Committee no later than Sept. 9.” The ITF will continue to monitor the situation in Pakistan and the Davis Cup Committee will re-convene to re-examine the security situation in advance of the tie.”
India unable to uphold bold claims
Earlier when the match was first announced, The All India Tennis Association (AITA) stated the government had no issues with the players crossing the border for the Asia/Oceania Group 1 tie to be held on September 14 and 15 despite strained relations between the two neighbors.
Read more: Indian tennis team to come to Pakistan for the first time since 1964
“Yes, they are set to tour Pakistan,” AITA president Praveen Mahajan said. “We informed the government about it and they were OK with it. “We did not require a clearance from them because it is an international event but we do not do anything without asking the government.”
An Indian tennis team last toured Pakistan in 1964 for the Davis Cup, where they defeated the hosts 4-0. Until a few years ago, Pakistan was forced to host its home Davis Cup ties at neutral venues as teams refused to travel to the South Asian nation over security concerns. However, at the time of announcement of the Islamabad match, Mahajan said India will not demand any “special security” arrangements for the upcoming tennis tie.