CHENNAI: Time and again, Leander Paes has defied age and he did so for the nth time on Saturday. The veteran will lead the Indian tennis challenge in the Asian Games. He had pulled out of the Doha Games in 2010 as it clashed with the World Tour Finals in London.
The senior selection committee met on Saturday to name a 12-member squad for the September 19-October 4 event in Incheon, South Korea. Though the Davis Cup World Group playoff against Serbia (September 12-14 in Bangalore) is scheduled before the Asian Games, that squad is likely in a selection meeting to be held on August 13.
Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri will lead the singles challenge, while Paes will be supported by Rohan Bopanna and Saketh Myneni in doubles. The women’s charge would be headed by Sania Mirza. India have so far won 19 tennis medals at the Asian Games, including five gold, four silver and 10 bronze. National coach Zeeshan Ali said having Paes is always a confidence booster. “It’s good to have him back. His presence makes a big difference and will encourage youngsters,” he told TNIE.
The coach also said their recent experience of playing in Korea during the Davis Cup tie in April will help them. “We are familiar with the courts. We beat Korea in Korea recently. So that should come in handy. Paes and Bopanna are likely to play doubles and in case one of them gets injured, we have Saketh at our disposal. Sanam won a gold medal in the previous edition with Somdev in doubles and has been performing well in recent tournaments.”
He also felt fatigue would not be a big issue, considering that the Davis Cup tie and Asian Games will be held back to back. “Davis Cup does exhaust a player mentally and physically, but they have four days to recover, which is good enough. They are professionals and know how to handle such situations. The event starts on August 20. So we have ample time,” added Zeeshan.
National selection committee chairman Anil Dhupar said he was confident this team would win laurels. “It’s a strong side and I am sure they will come back with many medals. The decision as to who will play the singles and doubles will be taken by the captain.”
On the selection of the 40-year-old Paes, he said, “He is the biggest star we have. He has been playing well at Grand Slams and made himself available for the Asian Games.”
Asked if any other players were in contention, Dhupar said, “There were many names including that of Ramkumar Ramanathan. We have been promoting him over the last two years. He has been doing well and will definitely get a chance in the future. We have selected the best possible squad.”
It’s over to Yeorumul Tennis Courts.