Her sister Neha’s application for Indian representation is currently pending with the International Tennis Federation. “It’s much easier to travel with an American passport. If the government wants to step in our way, then it’s a sad day for Indian tennis.”

But Sports Secretary Sudhir Nath told The Indian Express that the decision had not been taken unilaterally. “We reached this decision only after conferring with different federations and the Indian Olympic Association. It was the predominant feeling in all federations that only Indian citizens should be allowed to play for India,” he said.

“Spots in the national team are a matter of great prestige, and they should be given to Indian citizens only. There are youngsters doing so well in a country that’s as large as ours, and with this ruling, they’ll benefit and improve. I don’t think this will damage the country at all. In fact, it’ll only encourage a fresh breed of Indian sportspersons. But if the people in question surrender their foreign passports and possess only an Indian passport, we’ll have no problem at all,” Nath added.

The All India Tennis Association general secretary Anil Khanna, meanwhile, said the federation would abide by any government guidelines they get. “We will follow what the ministry tells us to do. But nothing in writing has been given to us yet,” he said.