Prakash Amritraj said he was still banned from India's Davis Cup team under new non-resident rules but was hoping to resolve the situation before they face South Africa in September. World number 154 Amritraj, a US citizen who was born and lives in California, cannot play due to a government order unveiled in December that bars non-natives from representing the country.
But the national number two insisted he had lost none of his passion for representing India and hoped to get the situation sorted out before the forthcoming crunch World Group play-off. "This came out of the blue," he told AFP at Wimbledon. "I've been playing for India for the last six years, I've wanted to do it all my life. The minute I was good enough they called upon me and I did it with a big smile on my face.
"But this rule has come up out of the blue and I'm hoping to sort it out so I can get back to flying the flag. "I'm very passionate about playing for my country. I carry an Indian flag in my bag at all times." Amritraj, whose father Vijay was one of India's most popular tennis stars, is competing in the men's doubles at Wimbledon alongside Pakistan's Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi.
He last played for India in the Davis Cup world group play-off against Romania in Bucharest in September. The Australian team refused to travel to Chennai for the May 8-10 Asia/Oceania Group 1 semi-final after expressing concerns over security arrangements. Australia's boycott meant India advanced automatically to the World Group play-offs.