JAKARTA : After the bell, below the belt. Or so it seems. After questioning the All India Tennis Association (AITA) for weeks with respect to partnering him up with a ‘doubles specialist’ who plays on the ad court (read: N Sriram Balaji, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan or Purav Raja) to no avail, Leander Paes, a master of the deuce court, has pulled out of the Asian Games squad 72 hours before the men’s doubles matches begin at Palembang.“It is with a heavy heart that I have to say that I will not be playing the upcoming Asian Games in Indonesia,” he wrote in a statement accessed by Express.
“Despite my repeated requests, from so many weeks in advance, it is sad that we have not been able to put a doubles specialist in the team for credible second doubles pairing for the Asian Games. Our doubles specialists have been doing exceptionally well this season and one of them definitely deserved to strengthen the Asian Games squad.”Rohan Bopanna, whose injured shoulder has healed, will partner Divij Sharan. This, ostensibly, will become India’s main doubles pairing. “I’m happy to learn Rohan has recovered and as such a doubles medal for India is almost assured,” wrote Paes. While he has come to accept this, it is learned he is peeved with AITA as he was asked to partner Sumit Nagal, a middling singles player whose form has plummeted over the course of the last few months (World No 213 to 300 in the last 100 days).
While India can still field two men’s doubles teams, this gives Zeeshan Ali, the men’s team captain, a massive headache. Does he compromise the fitness of Ramkumar Ramanathan or Prajnesh Gunneswaran by asking one of them to do double duty? A question which needs an answer relatively quickly.
Paes, who is in Cincinnati, also had an axe to grind with how AITA has treated him with respect to the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme. “Till date, I have submitted three applications for availing of the finances sanctioned by the government to athletes who represent the country,” he had written in a mail to AITA a few weeks ago. “I have always put national duty before self and I am confused as to why my application for TOP Scheme has not been processed. I am told all other players on the team have received their funding.”
Meanwhile, AITA alleged that Paes has still not told them he is pulling out. “I am aware of it but it’s not Leander who told me,” Hironmoy Chatterjee, AITA’s secretary general, said. “He has not told me the reasons. Zeeshan Ali informed me that he spoke to Paes and he is not sure whether he will come.”
Players in the dark? The men’s squad did not hear about the development until this newspaper told one of them. “Oh... okay. I didn’t know that,” one of the players said. “Haha, things will get interesting now.” Indeed.