New Delhi: Veteran Leander Paes will have the opportunity to add to his Asian Games medal tally as he is set to be included in the Indian tennis team for the upcoming Jakarta Asiad. However, the country’s premier singles player Yuki Bhambri has said he will prefer competing in the US Open if he makes the cut.
The AITA selection committee will meet here Sunday to announce the squad and sources said Sunday that the 44-year-old Paes, who skipped the last two editions, has confirmed his availability along with most of the leading men’s and women’s singles players, including Rohan Bopanna and Ankita Raina.
Yuki, ranked 93, has told AITA that if he gets direct entry into the last Grand Slam of the season, he won’t be available. In case Yuki is not picked, Ramkumar Ramanathan (121) and Prajnesh Gunneswaran (183) are automatic selections for the men’s singles based on their rankings.
Paes has won a singles bronze (1994), three gold in men’s doubles (1992 and 1996 with Bhupathi and 1994 with Gaurav Natekar) a men’s team gold (1994), a mixed doubles gold with Sania Mirza (2006), a mixed doubles bronze with Sania Mirza (2002) and a team bronze in 1990.
In five events – men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles – India can send two entries each.
It will be interesting to see which teams are chosen for men’s doubles. Paes and Bopanna had won the crucial China Davis Cup tie in April and if they again play together, it will be good for them to have a match before the Serbia tie.