Talk about clumsy sports officialdom. The Indian tennis federation takes the lob and the volley.
First, they gave Rohan Bopanna the right to choose his partner for Rio. They made a big thing of it seeing as how he is ranked No. 10 in the world and it is his prerogative. Vijay Amitraj, the most respected name in the game, even justified Rohan’s stance on selecting Saketh Myneni because he is comfortable with him.
He also so totally scoffed the Leander Paes bid for a seventh straight Olympics and said that stuff was secondary to the best pair representing India and the winning of a medal. All in all the deal had been struck...Leander was out in the cold and Myneni was packing his bags.
Fine. Suck it up, Leander, even if you have won eight Gland Slams, you are ranked 45 and Rohan Bopanna does not like you. This clash of personalities has occurred before.
No one can deny how awesome Leander is but if it is Rohan’s choice then so be it.
To mess things further after the pair are sort of announced there is this massive flurry of support for Leander, seeing as how he has once again won the French Open and that’s no small potatoes.
We are sending a team without our star, what’s wrong with us? The campaign to take Paes goes into top gear.
Obviously, there is huge pressure placed on Bopanna to give in and he does and now he and Leander have to play with each other through their loathing.
Argument: why change if it is Rohan’s privilege. Leander plays as an individual in the Grand Slams even though it is glory to India. But he is 35 rankings lower in the doubles than Rohan so Rohan is India’s best bet.
Argument: if Rohan their games are not compatible and he doesn’t feel good and they just don’t get on, then we might as well not send the two because they have already lost the chance to win, their hearts are not in it and they are just going for the ride.
Argument:Leander can now get his world record of seven Olympics even if it means getting knocked out in the first round because they are an odd couple.
Argument: Myneni has to unpack for no fault of his own even though Rohan believes the two would make the better combination. Now, is Rohan being a spoiled brat or is he sincere in his assessment...the whole thing hinges on his right to choose which has now been taken from him.
Final argument: why don’t tennis powers like Vijay stand up tall and say this is wrong, this is sentimental and this is not the best hope for a medal which should be the priority.
Suddenly, it is all about Leander going to the Olympics not India winning a medal.
First, they gave Rohan Bopanna the right to choose his partner for Rio. They made a big thing of it seeing as how he is ranked No. 10 in the world and it is his prerogative. Vijay Amitraj, the most respected name in the game, even justified Rohan’s stance on selecting Saketh Myneni because he is comfortable with him.
He also so totally scoffed the Leander Paes bid for a seventh straight Olympics and said that stuff was secondary to the best pair representing India and the winning of a medal. All in all the deal had been struck...Leander was out in the cold and Myneni was packing his bags.
Fine. Suck it up, Leander, even if you have won eight Gland Slams, you are ranked 45 and Rohan Bopanna does not like you. This clash of personalities has occurred before.
No one can deny how awesome Leander is but if it is Rohan’s choice then so be it.
To mess things further after the pair are sort of announced there is this massive flurry of support for Leander, seeing as how he has once again won the French Open and that’s no small potatoes.
We are sending a team without our star, what’s wrong with us? The campaign to take Paes goes into top gear.
Obviously, there is huge pressure placed on Bopanna to give in and he does and now he and Leander have to play with each other through their loathing.
Argument: why change if it is Rohan’s privilege. Leander plays as an individual in the Grand Slams even though it is glory to India. But he is 35 rankings lower in the doubles than Rohan so Rohan is India’s best bet.
Argument: if Rohan their games are not compatible and he doesn’t feel good and they just don’t get on, then we might as well not send the two because they have already lost the chance to win, their hearts are not in it and they are just going for the ride.
Argument:Leander can now get his world record of seven Olympics even if it means getting knocked out in the first round because they are an odd couple.
Argument: Myneni has to unpack for no fault of his own even though Rohan believes the two would make the better combination. Now, is Rohan being a spoiled brat or is he sincere in his assessment...the whole thing hinges on his right to choose which has now been taken from him.
Final argument: why don’t tennis powers like Vijay stand up tall and say this is wrong, this is sentimental and this is not the best hope for a medal which should be the priority.
Suddenly, it is all about Leander going to the Olympics not India winning a medal.
