‘Mahesh Bhupathi made Olympics a real sad one for me’

He might be in seventh heaven after receiving the prestigious Padma Bhushan honour, but tennis ace Leander Paes is still rankled by the selection furore prior to the 2012 Olympics and holds Mahesh Bhupathi responsible for making the Games a “real sad” outing for him.

The build-up to the London Games was marred by a selection row as players resorted to bickering. A can of worms opened up when Rohan Bopanna refused to partner Paes in the event, insisting on teaming up with Bhupathi.

“Mahesh was the reason the last Olympics in London was a real sad one for me. Not only did they not give me a chance to get a medal, India lost an opportunity to get a medal. That’s something that’s gone down in history,” Paes said. Asked if there is a possibility of pairing up with his former partner Bhupathi in future, the answer from the 14-time Grand Slam winner in doubles was an emphatic no. In the run-up to the London Games, both Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna refused to play with Paes and insisted on being paired together. In a damage control exercise, the All India Tennis Federation paired Bhupathi with Bopanna and to appease Paes, paired him with Sania Mirza for the mixed doubles.