Former Davis Cupper Vijay Amritraj has expressed his disappointment over sports federations in the country showing disrespect to former players.

Man grows sentimental with age. And even a hardcore sportsman like Vijay Amritraj is no different. The former Indian Davis Cup player lamented that ex-sportspersons are not welcome in the nation.

At the sidelines of the Aircel Chennai Open venue, an emotional Vijay said, "I am a tennis player, I am ok. But, look at other sports like football or hockey in the country. We have to look after the players who have served India well."

Photogallery: Aircel Chennai Open

He added, "Arjuna awardees, people who have won awards for the country, people who have represented India in different sports. It has to come from the sports ministry. Otherwise we're not showing respect not just to the athletes, you're not showing respect to the country because they have actually represented India."

The veteran Davis Cupper met media persons to explain his absence at Saturday's draw ceremony of the 15th edition of the Aircel Chennai Open tournament.

When his face with the familiar smile went missing at the draw ceremony, it had raised eyebrows. But Vijay's explanation was simple, "Let's not make a mountain of a molehill. People come and go. Things will happen. There may be disagreements along the way. I was not invited by the organizing committee to attend the ceremony. But, at the end of the day, it is the people of Chennai who are looking forward to the event."

The former Davis Cupper who represented India for 20 years emphasised the fact that the tournament doesn't rely on personalities any more. He said, "The season tickets are sold out not because of the players who are playing in the tournament, but because it has become an event. My commitment is to tennis in the city of Chennai and in this country, irrespective of who is running it."

Amritraj's efforts cannot be forgotten as he brought the prestigious event to the country during the time he served as the ATP president. And the veteran takes pride in it, "Strong support from the government of Tamil Nadu has made the event what it is today. The Indian players have benefited through it. We had an Indian player in the final last year, and that's what we take great pride in."

As Chennai is so close to Vijay's heart, his son Prakash, who has been a regular at the event's main draw as a wildcard entrant in the last few years is playing the qualifying rounds to make the playing field this time. Prakash defeated Peter Polansky in a nail-biting thriller on Sunday to win 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11-9) and enter the final round.

Pleased with Prakash's result, the proud son of Chennai once again ruled out any doubts of his commitment to the event, "This is my hometown. I grew up here. These are my people. I am going to be here, irrespective of anything."