`Davis Cup is important, but …’

CHENNAI, April 6: “From now, Leander’s tennis is more important,” declared the Indian Davis Cup player’s father, Dr Vece Paes, in the course of an interview to The Indian Express, today.

Vece was reflecting on his son skipping last week’s Davis Cup tie against Italy in Genoa when despite hectic efforts from all quarters, Leander stood his ground and said a firm `no’ to play in the wake of a shoulder injury.“We will never say no to Davis Cup or the Olympics or the Asian Games. As you know, Davis Cup brings out the best in Leander. But it costs him three weeks and a chance to work on his ATP ranking points. Leander was carrying injuries in the previous two Davis Cup ties, and it meant that he was out of the Tour for four weeks at a time. So, we have decided that Leander will not play Davis Cup if he is injured,” Vece said.

The father was obviously disappointed at the talk that Leander agreed to play in the Gold Flake Open and not the Davis Cup. “We have always played by the rules, and on thisissue (the Davis Cup), we have no guilt. Leander just can’t go on playing carrying injuries and missing out on singles because of the time taken to recover. Even Agassi is taking so long to make up his rankings,” Vece emphasised.

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The hurt at the talk was evident as Vece said: “Leander does not charge any appearance money from Indian organisers. He pays his own fare while playing in charity events.”

Apparently, the need to improve his singles rankings has attained urgency as Leander turns 25 in a fortnight.