Bhupathi unperturbed

Bhupathi was speaking after the Indian team8217;s first practice session on the actual match surface at the Beppe Croce Club here yesterday. Overall, it was the Indians8217; third day of practice after they grouped here on Sunday, with Bhupathi and Syed Fazaludhin coming from the US and Prahlad Srinath from India, along with non-playing captain Jaideep Mukherjea and coach Enrico Piperno.

The Italians are overwhelming favourites to win the best-of-five tie on the slow, red clay courts here and would have been so even if Paes had played. Paes withdrew from the Indian team with a shoulder problem just a couple of days before it was scheduled to meethere.

MUMBAI: India8217;s Davis Cup spearheads Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have been given two of the three singles wild cards on offer in the April 6-12 Gold Flake Open tennis tournament to be held at Chennai.

The decision to award wild cards to the Atlanta Olympics bronze medallist Paes, who is carrying a shoulder injury but hopes to play in the tournament, and his doubles partner Bhupathi was announced by the tournament director Brian Cooney, a release stated here today.