After a bitter fallout close to a decade ago, iconic Indian doubles pair Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi could potentially reunite for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
According to our source, the duo met in Mumbai to discuss the possibility, a few days back. If Paes does participate, this would make him the first tennis player to participate in seven straight Olympic editions.
Both of them have crossed paths at the Challenger events in China. When asked about the proposition, Mahesh responded, “I am currently in China, and don’t want to make any comments on this.”
A source close to Leander confirmed their meeting. He said, “They met to discuss the best possible way for a doubles team for Rio. All members of the national setup are involved with this not just them. Any combination can be used, but yes this is not out of the question, but nothing can be confirmed as of now.”
Neither of them has qualified for the event, but reports suggest that Leander’s doubles pair will earn him an Olympic wild card call-up, considering his history in the competition. Both Paes and Bhupathi are not in the top 30, making it very difficult for them to earn an automatic Olympic qualification.
That being said, Rohan Bopanna is currently the highest ranked Indian doubles player, occupying the 11th position. However, he will be defending 1,000 points in Madrid next week, which could see him fall further in the rankings.
Leander, Mahesh have a win loss record of 303/103, highlighting their dominance over the sport for half a decade. Currently, Sania Mirza is the only Indian player with a guaranteed spot in Rio.
Our source added, “there is only a 5 % chance of this to happen, but the decision will be taken based on the interest of taking forward Indian tennis.”lE
