Somdev Devvarman, who won two gold medals in the Asian Games in Guangzhou and the singles gold medal in the Commonwealth Games at home, has been recommended for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award by the All India Tennis Association (AITA).
Devvarman had played a significant role in helping India get back to the World Group in Davis Cup. He had also been given a wild card for the Olympics in London, despite having missed about eight months on the circuit owing to a shoulder injury that led to a surgery.
The current Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali has been recommended for the Arjuna award, along with one of the best women’s tennis players in the country, Rushmi Chakravarthi.
While coach Nandan Bal’s name has been forwarded for the Dronacharya award once again, Vijay Amritraj has been recommended for the Dhyan Chand ‘life time achievement’ award.