‘Always ready to play for India’
NEW DELHI: Worrying about the venue is never an option when it comes to playing for India, asserted Leander Paes, days after several of his colleagues expressed reservations about travelling to Islamabad for their Davis Cup tie.
A number of top players and captain Mahesh Bhupathi had refused to play in the Pakistan capital due to security concerns but Paes, along with Saketh Myneni and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, were available.
All three are now part of India’s Davis Cup squad which will travel to Nur-sultan for the November 29-30 tie, the winner of which will compete in the 2020 World Group Qualifiers.
“I am very pleased to be playing for the country again. My job is not to worry about the location or the opponent, my job is to put my best foot forward. Given the circumstance, part of my job was to motivate the youngsters,” Paes said after a practice session.
“We did not want India to either default or forfeit this tie. When it comes to playing for India, I don’t ask where and who my opponent is.”
Does it mean that Paes was not worried about his safety in Pakistan? “Regardless of where we play, we do due diligence to make sure safety of the team is there. That being said, I knew that once venue was decided, players were picked, homework was being done and right measures were taken for us to play.”
It was widely believed that Paes had played his last Davis Cup tie for India when he got the record-shattering 43rd doubles win while playing against China in April 2018.
He was not considered for selection after that. However, the AITA had to fall back on the iconic player when the country’s t op doubles pl ayer Rohan Bopanna refused to travel to Islamabad and Divij Sharan was unavailable due to his wedding reception.
For the 46-year-old, the season was already over as he had not played since the US Open in September and the Davis Cup call did catch him by surprise. “There were a lot of rumblings going on behind the scenes in the Indian tennis fraternity that Leander has played his last Davis Cup tie but for me playing for my country has been greatest honour. It (the call) caught me off guard but I had enough time to prepare and I have done so.”
Despite the other top players’ willingness to play in the Kazakh capital, AITA rewarded Paes, Myeni and Jeevan by picking them in the squad. “It has been a bit of roller-coaster but I’m pleased we have brought the best team forward, going into this tie. As athletes, as patriots, our job is to play. All things happening around tennis is not our focus. Our focus is to make ourselves ready to play for country and win.”
Pakistan will be without their top players Aiam-ul-haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan, who pulled out in protest against shifting of the tie.