New Delhi: Shuttler Jwala Gutta has backed her fellow Hyderabadi tennis player Sania Mirza's claim that male chauvinism is part of Indian sports.

"All India Tennis Association (AITA) should have consulted Sania before taking the decision. It's shocking the way they dealt with the entire episode. The association should have called the players and everybody's opinion would have mattered," Jwala told NDTV on Wednesday.

"It not only brings bad name for tennis, but bad name to the way the whole system works," Jwala said a day after Sania said the controversial tennis team selection for the London Olympics "reeked of male chauvinism".

Sania broke her silence on the issue after getting a wildcard for the Olympics where she has been paired with Leander Paes and not regular partner Mahesh Bhupathi. India's highest ranked women's player accused the AITA of using her "as a bait to satisfy one of the disgruntled stalwarts of Indian tennis".

Talking further on the matter, Jwala said she herself had suffered from male domination in badminton.

"It's always been there. I have suffered the same way. It is quite ridiculous. We have so many female athletes, big names who have done really well in sports. Seeing all this, I fear many females might be afraid to take up sports as career," Jwala added. (IANS)