The All India Tennis Association (AITA) on Thursday claimed that Sumit Nagal demanded an annual fee of $50,000 to play Davis Cup ties for India, but the country’s top singles player defended himself, saying it is “standard practice” for athletes to be paid for their services.

Nagal had opted out of the recent Davis Cup tie against Sweden citing a back strain that also forced him out of the US Open men’s doubles competition last month.

It was India’s best chance to beat Sweden in their own backyard, but competing without a singles specialist, the team received a 0-4 hammering. Packed with doubles players and debutants, the team could not even win a set in the World Group I tie.

AITA, on Tuesday, made its displeasure clear by saying that the country’s top players, including Nagal, Yuki Bhambri and Sasikumar Mukund, refused national duty.

Nagal had entered the ATP 250 Hangzhou Open and was scheduled to play on Thursday but withdrew citing the same back issue.

“... Why should a player be asking for money to play for the country... This is a big question.

“He had demanded an annual fee of $50,000 (Rs 45 lakh approximately) and said if he is not paid, he will not play,” AITA secretary general Anil Dhupar said.

Largely restricted to World Group I, India play only two ties in a single season — in February and September.

“Let the country decide if it is right or not. Then, it is the decision of the government and everybody. The players are also paid by TOPS. And it’s not that they don’t get paid for playing the Davis Cup. They do get paid,” Dhupar added.

The AITA head was referring to the prize money that AITA receives from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for Davis Cup participation and distributes among team members. For a World Group I tie, AITA gets around Rs 30 lakh and 70 per cent of it is distributed among the participating players while the remaining 30 per cent is kept by the national federation to manage administrative expenditure.

Nagal did not deny the AITA claim and issued a statement on social media in his defence. “Regarding compensation, I want to clarify that it is standard practice in professional sports for athletes to be compensated for their participation in events, even when representing their country. This is not about personal gain. My discussions with AITA and the Davis Cup Captain are confidential and I would not like to indulge in any speculation about this,” he wrote.

AITA was furious that Nagal chose to skip Davis Cup last week by citing injury but “recovered miraculously” to compete in Hangzhou Open. Nagal withdrew from the ATP 250 tournament two days after the AITA came out with its statement.

Nagal, during the tie, criticised AITA on social media platforms, saying many of them were there just to enjoy junkets.