Bhupathi, Sania, and Bopanna among applicants for AITA SOM positions

Rohan Bopanna (left), Sania Mirza (centre), and Mahesh Bhupathi (right) have all applications for AITA Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) positions. | Photo Credit: (L-R) K Murali Kumar, Sudhakara Jain, Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Former India tennis stars Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna are among the prominent names to have applied for Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) positions in the All India Tennis Association (AITA).

Bhupathi has confirmed to PTI that he has submitted his application for the position.

With Bhupathi and Sania also throwing their hats in the ring after Leander Paes, India’s most successful tennis players have now expressed interest in being part of AITA governance.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Rohan Bopanna has also filed his application.

The list of applicants also includes former Davis Cup skipper Anand Amritraj, Gaurav Natekar in the men’s category, while Sania is among the eight applicants in the women’s category.

The AITA had invited applications for SOM positions as part of its governance-related measures following the introduction of National Sports Governance Act.

The initiative is linked to the framework for sportsperson representation under the National Sports Governance (National Sports Bodies) Rules, 2026.

According to AITA sources, a total of 26 applications have been received across the men’s and women’s categories, with 18 applicants in the men’s list and eight in the women’s list.

The men’s list also features former Davis Cup players and administrators, including Mustafa Ghouse, Vishal Uppal, Srinath Prahlad, Sandeep Kirtane and Nandan Bal.

Rohan Gajjar, Vijayant Malik, Vasudeva Reddy, Nikshep B R, Tejbir Singh Bhandari and Chinmay Pradhan are among the other applicants.

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In the women’s category, Sai Jayalakshmy, Radhika Kanitkar, Rushmi Chakravarthi, Archana Venkata Raman, Arthi Venkataraman, Amrita Mukherjee and Arati Natekar have also applied.

The amended AITA Constitution provides for four SOM representatives on the General Body (two men and two women) and two SOM representatives on the 15-member Executive Committee (one man and one woman).

The SOM framework is part of the broader effort to provide sportspersons with a role in the governance of national sports federations under the new sports governance rules.

The SOM selection is a separate process, involving the preparation of a roster of eligible former players -- 20 men and 20 women. The process to elect SOM will be completed on November 5.