Mission London: Paes-Bhupathi pair still the best bet for India in 2012 Olympics

Which Indian is one of the best left court doubles players in the world? Which is one of the greatest from the right side? The answers are Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, and that's the pairing selectors should be looking at to represent India at the London Olympics, says an article in Hindustan Times, adding that however, things in Indian tennis can never be that simple, because a supine federation has, for far too long, allowed players to run roughshod over any pretence of country before self.

According to the article, Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna have written to the national body that unless the two are proposed as a team, they won't be too happy. “They suggest that they play together while the highest ranked Indian doubles player, Paes, be paired with some other junior player. Bopanna does not inspire their confidence. His sub-standard performance against a secondrate doubles team in the Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan (while pairing with Paes) has raised concerns about his ability to put personal animosity on the backburner when representing the nation. Then, he is also a natural left court player who has been grappling with the right side only on account of his pairing with Bhupathi. Of course, Paes and Bhupathi are strangely gifted individuals who hate each other yet come together to make magic on court,” says the article.

Meanwhile Leander Paes on Monday assured himself of a berth in the London Olympics by retaining his position in the top-10 in the latest ATP doubles rankings, but Sania Mirza’s fate continued to hang in balance. Paes retained his seventh spot in the rankings released on Monday, but Sania slipped to 12th in the doubles list of the WTA charts, thus failing to secure the top-10 ranking that was needed to book a London berth. Sania would now have to depend on a wildcard to get an entry into the Games, says a Times Of India report.

Meanwhile, even before the euphoria over the Thailand Open win has died down, Saina Nehwal has touched down in Jakarta, her favourite venue, for the Djarum Indonesia Super Series Premier which kicks off on Tuesday.

According to a TOI report, hunting for the elusive Premier title, the 21-year-old will be keen to carry on the winning momentum. “Though Saina had won the Indonesia Super Series twice (2009 and 2010), she lost in the final after the tournament was upgraded to thePremier levellast year.  With the mighty Wangs back in action, the field will be quite strong at the Premier. Saina, who will begin against Sayaka Sato, has been handed a tough draw.  The world No.5, who lost to Sayako only once in their four meetings, will face a qualifier in the second round before entering the ‘Wang Den’ from the quarterfinals,” says the report.