A report in the Daily Mail says that Mahesh Bhupathi has still not given up hope of playing with Sania Mirza in the London Olympics. Bhupathi was quoted saying that the two are the best mixed doubles pair and that is the reason why they are playing together in the Wimbledon.
Bhupathi was quoted by Mail Today saying, “I look forward to pairing with her at the Wimbledon and at the Olympics.”
Mahesh Bhupathi in the post match press conference after he won his match along with his partner Rohan Bopanna said that Leander Paes is the number one player in India and he definitely deserves to go to the Olympics, Bhupathi added that Paes deserves to go with someone who wants to play with him, says a report in The Times of India.
Bhupathi also tried to clarify his stand saying, “Everyone seems to think that I'm the one manipulating and pulling the strings for all these extremely individual and successful tennis players like Sania Mirza, Rohan and Somdev Devvarman but it's not true.”
Rohan Bopanna who was also present in the press conference said that he is very excited to represent India in the Olympics and it is the biggest event that one can hope for.
All India Tennis Federation in reply to the questions asked by Sania Mirza has came out with a reply saying that the mixed doubles pairing was done on merit, says a report in The Indian Express.
“The committee selected World No.7 and India No.1 Leander Paes to partner World No.12 and India No.1 Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles Olympics event. With a combined ranking of 19 they were placed 9th in the top-12 teams to be eligible for mixed doubles. This selection is purely on merit,” AITA was quoted in the report.
AITA also showered praise on the player from Hyderabad saying, “Sania Mirza is a great Indian player like Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. AITA respects all its players and is fully aware of the accomplishments of Sania Mirza as an excellent tennis player.”