Three days into the Olympic year, Leander Paes has made a categorical statement on his preferences of partners for the doubles events at Rio.
With the fiasco that the selection process for the London Olympics turned out to be still fresh in memory, Paes made it clear on Sunday that he ought to partner Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles for India to have a chance at medals.
“Selections in anything have to be on merit. Having won three mixed doubles Grand Slams in the run up to the Olympics, I have to be the front-runner, especially in mixed doubles,” Paes said, at a sponsor event in the city.
“Neither Sania nor Rohan has got into a mixed doubles final this year. And Rohan has never been in a mixed-doubles final of a Grand Slam,” he said.
Paes also spoke of his versatility on either side of the court, keeping in view Sania’s preference to play the deuce-court.
“I’ve won mixed-doubles titles playing both the deuce-court and the ad-court. With Cara Black, Martina Hingis and Martina Navratilova, I won playing the deuce-court while I played the ad-court with Lisa Raymond. I am adaptable to either side,” he said.
“The last time I (and Hingis) met Rohan, in the US Open semis, I beat him convincingly, and Rohan was playing on the ad-side.”
When asked if it would have been better to partner an Indian in an Olympic year, the 42-year old said: “I asked Rohan if he’d like to play a few tournaments together but he was not keen on it. He is set in his partnership.
“But I do feel it is important to play few tournaments together like I tried in 2012, and I just hope the shambles of London doesn’t repeat itself again.”
Ahead of the London Olympics, Paes who was then in the top-10 had the option of choosing any partner without worrying about the rankings, but neither Bhupathi nor Bopanna wanted to partner him.
Recalling that episode, Paes said: “At the end of the day, we saw what happened at London. I think I was No.2 in the world then, and I get to choose my partner when in the top-10. I think politics came and played its part in a dirty manner.”
“I have had a couple of conversations with the AITA and made it clear that mixed-doubles gives us a great chance of a medal. Also, we have to keep in mind that the Rio Olympics will be played on hard-courts which should suit Sania more than grass that we had in London. On hard-courts, her serve has bit more kick, her footing is sure and the ball sets up nicely for her forehand.”
“If we are not given the chance, the people and the country are going to miss out on a medal, and if that farce is going to play out again, then…
“I hope the best team goes and I get that call.”
Paes, who will be 43 by the time the Olympics starts, said a medal at Rio would be a nice way to sign off on a storied career.
“If I win another medal, I will be lying if I say I won’t be tempted to consider retirement and go out on a high,” he said. “But, at the same time, I have worked so hard to be fit and I won’t stop in the middle of the season. I won’t break my commitment to my partners if I commit for the whole season.”
Paes will partner Marcel Granollers in the Chennai Open, and the duo take on Stan Wawrinka and Guillermo Garcia Lopez in the opening round on Tuesday.
