Davis Cup’s Day 1 soaked in mismanagement woes

All preparations went awry as a heavy downpour began just before the scheduled start of the first singles match between debutant Sasikumar Mukund and Yassine Dlimi.

LUCKNOW Chaos, mismanagement, and poor handling of affairs marred Day One of the two-day World Group-II Davis Cup tie between hosts India and Morocco at the Vijayant Khand Stadium here on Saturday.

The organisers, especially those responsible for managing the event, appeared clueless about any contingency plans. (Deepak Gupta)

All preparations went awry as a heavy downpour began just before the scheduled start of the first singles match between debutant Sasikumar Mukund and Yassine Dlimi. The organisers, especially those responsible for managing the event, appeared clueless about any contingency plans. The on-duty police officers exacerbated the situation by preventing genuine spectators from entering the stadium.

While they allowed their colleagues to enter the stadium without proper entry passes, others with valid passes and vehicles were denied access, with the officers at the entrance gates claiming the parking was full. Interestingly, there were numerous empty seats within the stadium.

This situation led to a significant traffic jam on the roads leading to the stadium. The organisers were accused of distributing more passes than the venue’s actual seating capacity. “I have a valid entry pass and a car pass, but I’m being told there’s no parking space inside the stadium,” said Sanjay Verma, a tennis fan. “It’s absurd that people with legitimate entry tickets are being denied access. They shouldn’t have invited so many people when there was no space for them,” he added.

Puneet Agarwal, secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Tennis Association, also appeared bewildered by the chaotic situation. “Even the police aren’t listening to me. I don’t know what’s happening here,” he said as the rain continued.

The ground staff’s exceptional efforts paid off as over two dozen volunteers worked diligently to dry the ground after the rain subsided, and the event commenced two hours later than scheduled.

Undoubtedly, a Davis Cup in the state capital, especially after 22 years, is a significant event with high stakes for the Uttar Pradesh government, which has reportedly sponsored the event. Many believe that Saturday’s chaos could have been averted with better planning by the organisers.