All India Tennis Federation (AITA) has publicly announced that pairing up Leander Paes with Vishnu Vardhan is an unfair decision to the stalwart but then did the association even care to ask Sania Mirza's opinion as to what she wanted or who she wanted to pair up in the Olympics. The Association has been extra courteous in apoligising to Leander and offered Sania as a bait for mixed doubles to pair up up Vishnu men's doubles. But if we look at Vishnu, he kept the Indian flag flying high in the 2010 Beijing Asian Games when he won silver with Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles when all, including Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes decided to stay out of the event for personal benefits.
Now this achievement proves that the player does have enough experience and talent to be playing at the big stage and did win medal for India at a grand stage. And as for Sania, who earlier broke into the top 30, is the only individual from the current crop to have ever achieved that feat, but did the AITA ever care to respect her credentials. They just announced their decision to send Paes and Sania as a pair to London undermining the fact that few weeks back she won the mixed doubles crown in the French Open teaming up with Bhupathi. Was it good on their part to break the winning combination?
AITA claims that the decision has been totally made on the basis of merit, but then what can be more meritorious than winning the French Open crown. Sania claimed that she has been used as a bait to pacify Paes and the decision reflects male chauvinism and the way she was offered as a compensation to partner him is very humiliating. Well she has all the right to feel humiliated and after everything she did for Indian Tennis, she deserved more respect. If AITA could deal
Sania’s case with such an iron fist, what went wrong when they decided the men’s team?
When wanted to pair up Bhupathi-Paes as they thought they were country’s best bet at the Olympics, why did they revoke their decision and fell prey to the pressure tactics. It has been highly unfortunate on Sania’s part to be treated like this after committing to the country. Even though Sania showed her displeasure at the whole fracas, she still accepted the whole decision and is has given her assurance she would partner anyone asked by the association and try and bring glory to the country. And even if she does not win any medal at London, here compassion and commitment towards is sure to earn her respect and love.
And surprisingly Bhupathi who was a frontrunner to partner Sania never did express his want to team up with Sania in the Olympics after he was given the partner of his choice in the men’s doubles. Now speaking about Bhupathi, he did not want to partner Paes because of the personal differences and put forward an argument saying that he would have a better chance at an Olympic medal if he teams up with Bopanna. Well a decision has been taken keeping in mind country’s interest, but if he had been so willing to serve the country then why did he not pressurize the AITA to team him up with Sania just like the way he did it when he was asked to play with Paes. Even Bhupathi knows that he stands a better chance at winning a medal with Sania than Bopanna at the Olympics, then where did his will to play for the country go. He accepted the decision of not being part of the mixed doubles team and all that he said after that is that he wanted to play with her but did not raise an outcry. Why such of kind of behaviour from Bhupathi? Does this behaviour of his not imply that all that he wants is to satisfy his ego and country comes next?
Being a senior player he should have showed much responsibility towards the country and the partner and should have buried the hatchet and put country ahead of his personal interest. And now whatever has happened all that the nation would want to see is that they put everything aside and emerge glorious at the grandest stage of all sporting events “The Olympics.”
By Indian Sports News Network