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LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 09: Leander Paes takes a break during a practice session ahead of the AEGON Championships at Queens Club on June 9, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
If you’ve been following Indian tennis over the past few years, you’d probably know who Vishnu Vardhan is, how he has progressed and what his chances in the world of tennis really are. Now, if you’ve been following Indian tennis only for the weeks, you’d probably know that Vishnu Vardhan is Leander Paes‘ compensation (I mean, doubles partner) at the Olympics. The more resourceful among you would’ve been quick to YouTube and Wiki him to find out if he played backhand single or double handed.
So at the end of all the mud slinging, the Indian contingent for the Olympics is as follows: Leander Paes, his mixed doubles partner, her usual mixed doubles partner, his usual doubles partner, Paes’ doubles partner and Paes’ mixed doubles partner’s doubles partner. See, it’s that simple. One big happy family. Ha!
So if you are an Indian tennis fan and you are an Indian TENNIS fan, you’d probably be as I am now: disillusioned, sad, let down and pissed off. All these ‘stalwarts’ of Indian tennis who claim to have ‘the country’s interest foremost’ in their minds, have, in the recent past exhibited precisely all that is wrong with all this nonsense about ‘national loyalty’ and ‘pride of the country.’
Oh yes. Before you get on to my case and slag me off for being unpatriotic, just look at the events of the past few weeks. ‘Leander always puts the country first,’ you say. Of course. I concur. Or rather, I concurred. Until a few weeks ago. Believe you me, I am as big a Leander fan as any of you out there. I was there, screaming my lungs out when Leander and Mahesh won their first Chennai open. I did not miss a single Leander-Mahesh game at Chennai for the first seven years of the tournament. I have even watched Leander playing challenger events at the stadium. I have watched Davis cups solely to try and see Leander go tooth and nail with vastly superior singles players and give his all. I too worship Leander. Or should that be worshiped Leander?
What triggers me to say this has it all to do with his conduct over the past few weeks. I completely understand his point of view. He is the number one player from this country and he should, in theory, be part of the first team. In an ideal world, he would have partnered Bhupathi and they’d have won the gold. Alas! The world is not ideal. In the next-to-ideal world, he would’ve partnered Rohan Bopanna and they’d have won a medal. Alas! The world is not next-to-ideal. The world is real. He partners Vishnu Vardhan, admittedly, weak in the wake of the competition present at the Olympics.
My quip, however, is what he said most recently. ‘I don’t even know if he has grass-court shoes. So it’s a bit of a tough one. But he’s a really good kid, I’m happy to play with him. Whatever the obstacles are, which I see are going to be many — he’s never been to Wimbledon before — whatever I can do as an experienced professional athlete to help my partners out, I do,’ he said. Now I’m sorry but where I come from, that is NOT encouragement. It really is not. It is arrogance. It is pitiful and it is downright rude, not to mention stupid. Now you tell me how or why that comment is justified. I mean, was there really a need for that in public? If you don’t know if he has grass court shoes, Mr. Paes, text him or call him up to find out. You don’t really have to ask him about it through the national media.
Bopanna played the card of the victim but that mail that he sent to Paes and his subsequent U-turn shows that he was not quite the hapless victim that he wants us to believe. Messrs Bhupathi and Bopanna have gotten their way, it seems. They created all that hoopla and it seems that it has all paid off. They are playing together. Right, all I can say is that I am waiting eagerly; waiting to see how far they progress. As a Leander fan, I am still secretly wishing for a Leander vsMahesh game in which Leander whoops Mahesh’s behind. And as an Indian tennis fan, I hop this will happen in the finals. Ha! I’m an idiot.
Oh! And let’s not forget the current open champion. By open, I mean, of course, open letters. She is the reigning queen of open letters in this country and while she basks in this glory, I would like to ask you, dear folks who extol her for her frankness, integrity and courage, why did she wait to publish this open letter?Why, for getting the entries, of course. For getting the wildcards of course. Why did she wait? If really was that outraged and hurt and all that, why did she not speak out soon? Why did she wait until she had the security of the entry to the Olympics to pen down those expertly crafted words? St. Mirza? I think not.
The biggest problem is that we bring patriotism and ‘for India’ and ‘the nation’ into all this. Honestly, if you really think that these people are doing it ‘for the nation’, you really ought to wake up and smell the coffee. Or tea. For this is India and one must always look for the nation and tea is apparently, the beverage of choice. See what I did there? Pulled in nationality and all that. It’s that easy.
I mean, just think about it. If all the concerned parties were acting with the ‘interest of the nation’ at the fore, why did they not just accept AITA’s choice? Yes, they had personal problems amongst themselves but if they really were ‘Indians first’, why did they not accept ‘India’s decision‘? Hypocrisy, that’s why. Let all this talk of ‘nation‘ and ‘patriotism’ not fool you. These people are athletes in an individual sport and they look out for themselves first and foremost. There is no use getting outraged at this for they are paid to do a job and they do it. In this case, they are paid to play for themselves. Regardless of which way you look at it, it is the simple truth. Accept it if you want. Live in denial if you want.
I mean, just think about it. Honestly? For the nation? Right, is India going to win the overall medal tally at the Olympics? Not unless N.Srinivasan becomes head of the Olympics and makes IPL the only sport of the Olympics with CSK the only team. So, while these tennis players do represent India, do they actually play for India? No. They play for India. Incidentally, they represent India. No? You do not concur? Right riddle me this, then. The medals that they win, yes? Who gets to keep them? India? I think you can work the rest out.
The simple fact of the matter is this. These players want to win. It is the natural tendency of an athlete. The Olympics are the zenith of man’s sporting achievement and any athlete dreams of one day, standing at the top of that podium. They dream of hearing their country’s national anthem. Of course they do. However, even beyond, they dream of draping the medal on their own chest. Not on the country’s.
The events of the past few weeks have shown that even the greatest of sportsmen can be the pettiest of squabblers; that they most talented athletes could be the worst hypocrites. Most of all, it has taught us one thing. The Indian tennis stalwarts want to project themselves as saints. They are all sinners. I only hope that come the end of the Olympics, we have some winners.
