Doubles specialist Leander Paes' dreams of playing in a record seventh straight Olympics came true after he was named with Rohan Bopanna as the Indian men's doubles team in Rio Olympics. Bopanna and Sania Mirza were picked for the mixed doubles while Sania will partner Prarthana Thombare in women's doubles.
Ignoring Bopanna's request for pairing him with Saketh Myneni, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) selection committee announced the decision after its meeting. Bopanna, who earned a direct Olympic entry based on his World No. 10 ranking in men's doubles, took everyone by surprise when he told AITA who he preferred as his men's doubles partner in Rio. The Olympics start on August 4.
In an apparent attempt to douse the fire, AITA President Anil Khanna said Bopanna respected Paes but he had his reasons to partner Myneni. "Bopanna respects Paes, he has given us his reasons why he would prefer Myneni," Khanna told the media. "Men's doubles more fortunate with Bopanna in top 10 and Paes at 46. Our decision is merely based on the best medal prospect," he added.
Paes recently completed a career slam after winning the French Open mixed doubles along with Swiss great Martina Hingis at Roland Garros.
Meanwhile, Sania, who had also given her preference to the AITA, is set to team up with Bopanna in the mixed-doubles category besides partnering Prarthana Thombare in women's doubles. "Sania will partner Thombare in the women's doubles event," Khanna said.
To enable the Paes-Bopanna pair to sort out differences, AITA has named them in the Davis Cup squad for next month's tie against South Korea. “We have the utmost respect for all the players, especially Saketh (Myneni), who we believe is one for the future. Mishra (selector) put the letter from Bopanna in front of us and we considered the combined results of both Rohan and Paes as well as Rohan and Myneni's show along with ITF's eligibility rules. It was decided that best bet for an Indian medal in men's doubles are Bopanna and Paes,” Khanna told the media.
“Sania, with her number one rank in women's doubles, assured us of an entry into women's doubles as well. We were concerned about this event. We knew that even if Bopanna was ranked 11 or 12 (he's ranked No. 9 now), he could have managed a berth with Paes because they are the best-ranked pair from the Asian region. But Sania has got an entry for India in women's doubles and she'll be turning out with Prarthana Thombare. It is a good pairing because they have played together earlier and Prarthana also trains at Sania's academy in Hyderabad,” Khanna added.
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