Davis Drama: Called from Mexico, Paes fumes after being axed

Bengaluru, Here we go again — another chapter has been added to the tragic-comedy of Indian tennis. The melodrama has started afresh.
Mahesh Bhupathi, the non-playing captain of the Davis Cup team, today opted for only one doubles specialist (Rohan Bopanna) for the tie against Uzbekistan, which begins tomorrow.
Leander Paes, who had travelled halfway around the world from Mexico, where he had won his first doubles title of the year, had no place in Bhupathi’s plans against Uzbekistan.
Paes’ bid for a record 43rd Davis Cup win, thus, was put on hold after Bhupathi picked the higher-ranked Bopanna for the Asia-Oceania Group 1 fixture.
All this is not really surprising — former playing partners Bhupathi and Paes are not friends, and they have not been friends for a long time. They’ve sparred verbally for well over a decade, mostly through their friends in the media. Immediately after Bhupathi was named captain of the Davis Cup team, speculation had started over Paes’ future in the Davis Cup. After all, though he seems ageless, he’s not getting any younger — he turns 44 in June.
First time
Twenty-seven years ago, Paes made his Davis Cup debut in Chandigarh, in the tie against Japan, played from March 30 to April 1, 1990.
Now, for the first time in his career, Paes has been dropped from the team, and this has left him extremely angry. “When I got here yesterday morning for practice, I was hitting and feeling the ball very well,” he said. “The criteria (for selection) was supposed to be form, which obviously doesn’t seem to be the case. It seems to fluctuate a lot.”
Paes indicated that he had been overlooked because of “personal likes and preferences”, ie a bias against him. He said he had been told that he was omitted on form.
“At one time, it (selection) is based on rankings and other times it’s based on likes and personal preferences,” Paes fumed. “Sometimes it’s not on personal preferences, it is based on who plays deuce court and who plays on ad court. And now it is based on form. On form, you guys know better who has played better.”
‘All this nonsense…’
Paes was especially upset that he had been called all the way from Mexico, only to be dropped — he thought things were done this way to humiliate him. “All this nonsense should not be there when it comes to playing for the country,” said Paes. “I firmly believe in one simple phone call — you are needed, or you are not needed. As simple as that. It doesn’t have to be like this.”
However, he said his desire to perform for the country hasn’t diminished. “I will work my way back again, and win like I did last year,” he said. “I can guarantee that my passion for the sport and my passion to play for India is still within me. It does not get deterred by individuals.”
“Sometimes you have to take things on the chin, throw your shoulders back and keep working hard. I would like to play more Davis Cups ties, whether I get calls or not,” he said.
“My love for the India flag, the country, and the people, is unconditional. Unconditional, no matter what,” Paes added.
Right call?
Former Davis Cup captain Jaidip Mukerjea said Paes’ axing was a step in the right direction. “He’s no spring chicken, the writing was on the wall for him. It feels hurt for the fashion in which he was dropped,” Mukerjea said.