AGL 37.90 Decreased By ▼ -0.25 (-0.66%)
AIRLINK 128.50 Increased By ▲ 3.43 (2.74%)
BOP 7.22 Increased By ▲ 0.37 (5.4%)
CNERGY 4.53 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (1.8%)
DCL 8.20 Increased By ▲ 0.29 (3.67%)
DFML 38.60 Increased By ▲ 1.26 (3.37%)
DGKC 79.96 Increased By ▲ 2.19 (2.82%)
FCCL 32.00 Increased By ▲ 1.42 (4.64%)
FFBL 72.87 Increased By ▲ 4.01 (5.82%)
FFL 12.23 Increased By ▲ 0.37 (3.12%)
HUBC 109.27 Increased By ▲ 4.77 (4.56%)
HUMNL 14.00 Increased By ▲ 0.51 (3.78%)
KEL 4.97 Increased By ▲ 0.32 (6.88%)
KOSM 7.41 Increased By ▲ 0.24 (3.35%)
MLCF 37.93 Increased By ▲ 1.49 (4.09%)
NBP 70.40 Increased By ▲ 4.48 (6.8%)
OGDC 186.80 Increased By ▲ 7.27 (4.05%)
PAEL 25.05 Increased By ▲ 0.62 (2.54%)
PIBTL 7.32 Increased By ▲ 0.17 (2.38%)
PPL 150.30 Increased By ▲ 6.60 (4.59%)
PRL 25.10 Increased By ▲ 0.78 (3.21%)
PTC 17.00 Increased By ▲ 0.60 (3.66%)
SEARL 80.53 Increased By ▲ 1.96 (2.49%)
TELE 7.49 Increased By ▲ 0.27 (3.74%)
TOMCL 32.57 Increased By ▲ 0.60 (1.88%)
TPLP 8.49 Increased By ▲ 0.36 (4.43%)
TREET 16.58 Increased By ▲ 0.45 (2.79%)
TRG 56.49 Increased By ▲ 1.83 (3.35%)
UNITY 27.80 Increased By ▲ 0.30 (1.09%)
WTL 1.35 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (4.65%)
BR100 10,434 Increased By 344.9 (3.42%)
BR30 30,750 Increased By 1241.5 (4.21%)
KSE100 97,552 Increased By 2977.6 (3.15%)
KSE30 30,410 Increased By 965.5 (3.28%)

Indian tennis chiefs on Friday opened the door for a major row after naming a reluctant Mahesh Bhupathi to play with former doubles partner Leander Paes at the London Olympics. The All-India Tennis Association (AITA) named the ageing duo for the Olympic men's doubles even though Bhupathi publicly stated that he wanted to pair with his current partner Rohan Bopanna.
Bhupathi and Bopanna issued a joint statement slamming the AITA'a selection, amid mounting media speculation that Bhupathi may opt out of playing with Paes in London.
"We are saddened to learn of the decision to not nominate us for participation in the doubles at the Games," Bhupathi and Bopanna said in the statement. The pair said they had requested the AITA consider them for selection only as a team and not as individuals to be "paired with any other players". "It is indeed disappointing that the AITA has chosen to disregard our request. We believe that ignoring a combination that is fully committed, dedicated and prepared is an unjustifiable compromise," the pair said. "This is a sad day for Indian tennis from all perspectives.
"But we are hopeful that better sense will prevail before the team nomination deadline of June 21, 2012. We will continue to make our case to all concerned over the next few days."
AITA secretary-general Anil Khanna said the selection committee had picked the best combination. "We thought these two (Paes and Bhupathi) make the best players to win a medal at the Olympics. That's why we have decided to field them," said Khanna. "They have played four Olympics together. They played for India despite differences, so we expect them to bury their differences and play for the nation at the London Olympics also."
Paes, who turns 39 on Sunday, and Bhupathi, 38, have won three Grand Slam doubles titles - the French Open in 1999 and 2001 and Wimbledon in 1999.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012

Comments

Comments are closed.