NEW DELHI — An ongoing standoff between the All India Tennis Association and a group of prominent players is continuing despite the national federation conceding to most of their demands after they threatened to boycott a Davis Cup tie against South Korea from Feb. 1-3. “We have received an e-mail from Somdev Devvarman where he has stated that the suggestions we put forward are not good enough ... they want us to reconsider our stand and accept all their points,” AITA Chief Executive Hironmoy Chatterjee was quoted as saying in Tuesday's The Times of India. “We're waiting to get the players' acceptance till the 10th (Thursday). Only those available by then will be considered for selection at the meeting Friday.” The AITA Sunday named a new coach in former Davis Cup player Zeeshan Ali, fired team doctor Vece Paes and agreed to remove non-playing captain Shiv Mishra after the South Korea tie. Prize money for Group I ties has been increased from 50 to 60 percent. The players asked for 70 percent, but that figure will only be paid if the team wins Group I. For World Group ties, prize money has been raised from 60 to 70 percent, 10 percent less than the players wanted. The group of eight players, which includes Devvarman, Rohan Bopanna and doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi, is not happy with Ali as coach, want Mishra removed immediately and also want more transparency in financial matters. — AP
