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'The team does not want to go to Pakistan due to the deteriorating relationship between the two countries.'
The Indian tennis team has written to All India Tennis Association (AITA) expressing reluctance to travel to Pakistan for their Davis Cup clash scheduled to be held next month.
The AITA will now write to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) seeking a change of venue. A source close to AITA has revealed that the Indian team is not willing to travel to Pakistan due to the deteriorating relationship between the two countries.
"The team does not want to go to Pakistan due to the deteriorating relationship between the two countries. We will wait and see what ITF says. The team has also written to AITA asking for the match to be played at a neutral venue. AITA will write to ITF and once again ask them for a neutral venue," an AITA source said.
In September this year, AITA had announced the new dates for the Davis Cup tie between India and Pakistan.
The tentative dates were November 29-30 or November 30-December 1 and the clash was scheduled to be played at Islamabad.
"The security situation will be reviewed on November 4 whether the tie can be held in Islamabad or to be shifted to a neutral venue," AITA had said in a statement.
On August 22, ITF postponed the Davis Cup tie between India and Pakistan scheduled to be held in September after an in-depth security review of the current situation in Pakistan was done by independent expert security advisors.
"Following an in-depth security review of the current situation in Pakistan by independent expert security advisors, the Davis Cup Committee has taken the decision to postpone the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I tie between Pakistan and India in Islamabad, due to be played on September 14-15," ITF had said in the statement.
AITA had written to the ITF to shift the venue of the tournament from Pakistan or postpone the tournament for some time.
The letter was written after India abrogated Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. After which the situation between India and Pakistan became tense.