Tennis crisis in India: Leander Paes gets association's backing
06/19/2012 16:41
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has backed Leander Paes and said it is meaningless to send the veteran player to the London Olympics with a junior player after both Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna refused to play with him.
This comes a day after the Sports Ministry intervened to sort out the tennis crisis which could hurt India's medal hopes at the London Olympics. It asked the AITA why only one team was being sent when India can send two teams for the London Games.
"The Government has been funding and supporting multiple players to train and qualify for the Olympics. The justification of denying two players who have qualified as a team on merit by sending just one Indian team, when India can send two teams may be explained," the ministry letter said.
"Both Shri Mahesh Bhupathi and Shri Rohan Bopanna have officially declined the opportunity to play with Shri Leander Paes in the current scenario. With two days left for the deadline, wouldn't AITA be sending Paes with a youngster to represent India at London Olympics. The aforesaid action of AITA is depriving India of sending another team to London Olympics. The reasons for this may be explained.
The AITA replied today saying, "It is meaningless to send Leander Paes with a junior player. He being the best must be sent with Bopanna or Bhupathi."
Lashing out at Bhupathi and Bopanna, the AITA said: "Two players cannot make a pact to keep No.1 player out." It also said disclosed that Paes had informed them last year that he would play Olympics with Bopanna.
The tennis association also said there are four options to this resolve this crisis. "Option 1, Leander Paes partners Mahesh Bhupathi. Option 2, Rohan Bopanna partners Leander Paes. Option 3, Leander Paes partners lower-ranked player. And option 4, Mahesh, Rohan play together and Paes doesn't participate," it said.
On Friday the tennis selectors announced that only one team will be sent for the men's doubles event at the London Olympics and that will comprise of Bhupathi and Paes. Bhupathi, however, refused to play with Paes and said: "I have already told the All India Tennis Association (AITA) that I will not be available to play the Olympics if I am paired with Leander. I haven't even spoken to Leander since November."
Bhupathi asked AITA to be sent with his regular doubles partner Bopanna. "Rohan and I would have been the best pairing and we have repeatedly told the AITA that."
After Bhupathi's refusal, the AITA officially approached Bopanna but he too refused their offer yesterday. "With all respect and humility, I have been unable to accept AITA's offer and have communicated my decision to them. Since the beginning of the year, I have partnered with Mahesh Bhupathi towards playing together as a team at the Olympics. This was communicated to the AITA at every step and we were encouraged to continue to play together.
"Having played alongside Leander Paes only twice during my career, I recognise that as a team we are under-prepared for the demands of the Olympics and, in good faith, I could not accept AITA's offer that we play together."
Paes, who had earlier said that he had no problems in teaming up with either of the players, wrote to the AITA yesterday saying it was not fair to send two teams to the Olympics.
"When I sent you my unconditional participation in the Olympics, I believed we would put our best team forward for a Gold Medal. By setting up a second team as suggested by some u would create a situation where your no.1 player and the only Indian in the Top Ten ATP Doubles Rankings would have to play with the no. 5 Indian player. This would not be fair," he wrote in his letter.