Will India Witness Paes- Bhupathi Doubles Again?

Sports Minister Ajay Maken tried to solve the matter, asking why the Tennis Association is adamant on sending just one team. To this the Tennis Association wrote back saying that it would be meaningless to send Paes with a younger player who has not played Grand Slam saying "Leander being the best player must be paired with either Rohan Bopanna or Mahesh Bhupathi."

While Leander also in his letter to AITA said “If Mahesh or Rohan refuse to play with me for our country, then I am happy to play with the next best player that the AITA decides on.  However, it would not be acceptable, if with my ranking as the best Indian tennis player, I give up the best option of partner for winning a medal for my country and am made to play the Olympics with a player ranked 207 / 306 in the world while the No.13 and No. 15 ranked players form another team together based on their refusal to play with me.”

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has also now appealed to India's top tennis players to forget their individual differences and play in the "interest of the nation".

Krishna, who is also the Honourary President of the All India Tennis Association, has asked AITA President Anil Khanna to meet all the players personally and talk to them to resolve the issue immediately.

Urging all the three players -- Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna -- to forget their personal disparities, Krishna said India's interest should be respected and the players should resolve their individual differences and should never compromise the image of country for personal issues.

(With agency inputs)