Leander Paes’ doubles partner Rohan Bopanna and non-playing captain Zeeshan Ali on Thursday created a flutter when they said they didn’t know when he was going to arrive in Rio, and from where.
Paes’ men’s doubles partner for the Games here, Bopanna, on being asked if he was expecting Paes anytime soon, said: "That’s what I've heard."
Zeeshan then told a TV channel that he felt sorry for Bopanna, who did not have a practice partner. "I feel a little sad for Rohan. This is one of the toughest tournaments in the world and he’s having to go around asking people to practice with him," Zeeshan said.
However, Paes told mid-day that he had no idea why such a big fuss was made about his arrival in Rio de Janeiro for the August 5-21 Olympics yesterday.
Paes told Mid-Day that the All India Tennis Association was well aware of his schedule, so he didn’t quite know why his teammates were having a problem with it. "I have intimated my schedule to the AITA well in advance. They knew that I was to arrive in Rio today. I have a good two days of practice before entering into the tournament that begins on Saturday. I don’t know why this issue is being raked up," said Paes, who will be playing a record seventh Olympic Games.
According to a report in Deccan Herald, India loves Bollywood, and its Olympic tennis team has inadvertently provided a sequel suitable for the country’s renowned film industry.
“As at the London Games four years ago, personality clashes and animosity are threatening to overshadow Indian players’ reputation for strong doubles play. Since the 2012 Games, Sania Mirza has risen to No. 1 in the women’s doubles rankings, and Leander Paes, who at 43 is headed to a record seventh Olympics, has collected five more Grand Slam titles in doubles or mixed doubles to raise his career total to 18. But instead of celebrating Paes’ longevity and the team’s medal chances, Indian players have been rehashing public feuds,” says the report.
“It doesn’t look good, but it happens in various other countries,” said Bharat Oza, the secretary-general of India’s national tennis governing body, the All India Tennis Association. Oza, however, was not immediately able to give examples.
Meanwhile, Paes-Bopanna were yesterday pitted against the Polish team of Marcin Matkowski and Lukasz Kubot in the first round of the men's doubles event here, starting Saturday.
Paes-Bopanna have played only one match together this season in run up to the Games, while Kubot-Matkowski have played many matches in the first half of the season together.
In the women's doubles, Sania Mirza and Prarthana Thombare find Chinese pair of Peng Shuai and Shuai Zhang as their first round opponent.
