Bopanna and I are Olympic prospects but AITA will decide

In a career spanning more than two decades,seven Grand Slams and 50 doubles titles,Leander Paes has paired with a lot of partners

In a career spanning more than two decades,seven Grand Slams and 50 doubles titles,Leander Paes has paired with a lot of partners. At 38,as he takes another shot at winning a doubles medal in his sixth and perhaps last Olympics,he said Rohan Bopanna and he were prospects,as per current ranking Paes is seventh and Bopanna eighth.

Bopanna and I are doubles prospects for the Olympics,but the AITA will take the final call, said Paes,who was in Chandigarh to open the Centre of Excellence at CLTA stadium. He also said that he had a partner in mind,but trusted AITA to do what was best. I do have a preference but some conversations have to be private. I am sure AITA will find a suitable partner for me for the London Olympics. My form is good. I am doing well with Radek Stepanek and Bopanna is also playing well, said Paes.

Speaking of his desire to win the medal,Paes said: I would like to win a doubles medal in Olympics,this is close to my heart. The closest Paes got to fulfilling his dream was when partnering Mahesh Bhupathi,he made it to the quarterfinal of the Beijing Olympics,before losing to eventual champions Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka. Paes also enjoyed the best doubles success of his career playing with Bhupathi between 1994 to 2011,when the pair won three Grand Slams,and won 23 straight doubles rubbers in Davis Cup.

More practice needed

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Last week,during Indias Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan,Bopanna and Paes paired after almost five years and despite being ranked higher than their opponents,lost the encounter. Rankings dont matter. In the past,we had beaten many top ranked players in Davis Cup matches. But yes,more practice was needed between us, he reasoned. The cut-off date for filing the name of a doubles partner for the Olympics is June 9,just after the French Open.

Paes also praised the selectors for blooding youngsters in the singles rubbers. The selectors did a fantastic job by fielding two rookies,especially in the singles matches. Only by taking such bold decisions,young players can be developed and made into good players, he added. The next Davis Cup tie between India and New Zealand would be played at the CLTA Courts in Chandigarh in September later this year.