The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has empathised with Leander Paes and has allowed him to excuse himself from National duty this season.
In a release issued here on Saturday, the AITA secretary general Bharat Oza, stated that Paes had opted to sit out of the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania group ‘I’ tie to be held in Indore from January 31 to February 2, owing to personal reasons.
That apart, the 40-year-old Paes also would not be available for the Asian Games or any other events this season. Appreciating his contribution for more than two decades, the AITA stated that it understood the Atlanta Olympics bronze medallist’s desire to spend time with his family.
The captain of the Indian Davis Cup team Anand Amritraj and the coach Zeeshan Ali were in Chennai during the ongoing ATP Tour event to assess the performance of the players, and would be consulted by the selection committee when it meets in Mumbai on January 11 to select the squad for the tie at Indore.
