AGL 37.89 Decreased By ▼ -0.26 (-0.68%)
AIRLINK 124.10 Increased By ▲ 2.59 (2.13%)
BOP 5.67 Decreased By ▼ -0.18 (-3.08%)
CNERGY 3.75 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
DCL 8.55 Increased By ▲ 0.15 (1.79%)
DFML 40.48 Decreased By ▼ -0.41 (-1%)
DGKC 87.10 Increased By ▲ 2.50 (2.96%)
FCCL 33.98 Increased By ▲ 1.28 (3.91%)
FFBL 66.01 Increased By ▲ 0.51 (0.78%)
FFL 10.20 Increased By ▲ 0.15 (1.49%)
HUBC 104.45 Increased By ▲ 0.65 (0.63%)
HUMNL 13.45 Increased By ▲ 0.20 (1.51%)
KEL 4.78 Increased By ▲ 0.35 (7.9%)
KOSM 6.84 Decreased By ▼ -0.25 (-3.53%)
MLCF 38.84 Increased By ▲ 1.34 (3.57%)
NBP 60.35 Increased By ▲ 0.10 (0.17%)
OGDC 179.65 Increased By ▲ 7.40 (4.3%)
PAEL 24.97 Increased By ▲ 0.17 (0.69%)
PIBTL 5.71 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.18%)
PPL 153.00 Increased By ▲ 11.31 (7.98%)
PRL 22.79 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (0.31%)
PTC 14.91 Increased By ▲ 0.17 (1.15%)
SEARL 66.85 Increased By ▲ 2.29 (3.55%)
TELE 7.01 Decreased By ▼ -0.13 (-1.82%)
TOMCL 35.70 Increased By ▲ 0.20 (0.56%)
TPLP 7.32 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (0.41%)
TREET 13.99 Decreased By ▼ -0.21 (-1.48%)
TRG 50.95 Decreased By ▼ -0.80 (-1.55%)
UNITY 26.40 Decreased By ▼ -0.20 (-0.75%)
WTL 1.23 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.82%)
BR100 9,717 Increased By 233.5 (2.46%)
BR30 29,237 Increased By 866.2 (3.05%)
KSE100 90,860 Increased By 1893.1 (2.13%)
KSE30 28,458 Increased By 630.4 (2.27%)

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.