NEWS
OTHER SPORTS
DIARY
PEOPLE
MATCH REPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

Paes seeks doubles partners

Leander Paes, India's main tennis hope of the new millennium, will have to make some tough decisions in the immediate future. The man himself expressed the urgency in few words in Bombay today.

"I have to first pick a doubles partner for the Davis Cup match against Lebanon, search for a competitive player for the Gold Flake doubles in Chennai and then seek for an international standard doubles expert who can fill the void created by Mahesh Bhupathi's injury," he said in one breath.

He added that the host of decisions he has to make includes further stress on his individual singles ranking.

Paes was ranked 73rd in the world last year but that ranking should improve after he won two ATP Challenger titles at home recently. He said he expected to enter the top 100 now that International Tennis Federation (IFT) has effected some changes in the rules.

He said after a long time the burden of taking India ahead in the Davis Cup has become heavier for him. "Now I must win all three matches," he added.

It appears that Paes has narrowed down his choice of a doubles partner for the Davis Cup, as he has evinced interest in Mustafa Ghouse and Vishal Uppal.

The Atlanta Olympics bronze winner reiterated that the Sydney Olympics gold will be one of the last few doubles flings with Bhupathi. He has so far won 16 doubles title including two Grand Slams with Bhupathi.

"Then I must look after myself by focussing on singles because I am already 26 and life on court is becoming tougher," he explained.

Paes was amazed that John McEnroe has ridiculed the doubles event recently. The great temperamental American had said that doubles should be eliminated as no big player was interested in playing and neither crowd was keen to watch it.

Paes said it strange that a player who was once a No 1 in singles as well as doubles was making such statements. He admitted that McEnroe was not far from the truth but added that it was upto the ITF to make the doubles event worthy of the game.

He said the coming Gold Flake ATP event, which has attracted players like Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Cedric Pioline and Carlos Moya, should give a big boost to his singles career since it was a favourite hunting ground for him.

UNI