Roddick and Fish up first, Federer next

Lee and Hesh will have to fight real hard for their shot at Olympic glory, thanks to the luck of the draw. Their first tie is against Andy R...

Lee and Hesh will have to fight real hard for their shot at Olympic glory, thanks to the luck of the draw. Their first tie is against Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish of the US; if they survive that, they face Swiss pair Roger Federer and Yves Allegro.

Neither pair of opponents are doubles specialists but they each feature the top singles players.

The Americans are friends since their teens and both favour the hard-court surface Athens will have. In their seven tournaments together, Roddick/Fish have won one and been runner-up once. Of late, though, Fish has found a consistent partner in James Blake while Roddick has focused on singles.

Story continues below this ad

The stats favour the Indians: Fish has a 0-5 (L/W) record against Lee-Hesh in the company of various partners, while Roddick’s is 1-2. And happily for Lee-Hesh, the six-footers haven’t played warm-ups for the Games; the Indians won one of the two meets they entered since re-uniting.

Leander has happy memories of Federer and Allegro; he and David Rikl had beaten the Swiss pair in the first round of the Gerry Webber Open at Halle a couple of months ago. The win against Federer, a first by Paes, saw the Indo-Czech duo bag the title, which incidentally was Paes’s 29th.

‘Violence in Nepal is heart-rending’: PM Modi expresses concern as KP Sharma Oli resigns

India2 hr ago

Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed worry about the turmoil in Nepal and stressed the need for peace and stability. The Nepal Army and security officials called for dialogue to restore order amidst growing protests and the resignation of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli. The Indian government issued a safety advisory for Indian citizens, advising against travel until the situation improves.

View all shorts

Live Blog