Its the Olympic year, and after its best ever performance in 2008 with a gold and two bronze, India has been gunning for an even better show at the ultimate sporting event. And these hopes are not entirely misplaced, if the top of the table finish at the 2010 Commonwealth Games is any indication. The Shooters will be the flag bearers of medal hopes like always, but will get tough competition from the Boxing Contingent, Archery, Wrestling and Badminton. However, another event, which might not be too high on the Common Man's medal-hopeful list, is Tennis. The Indian men have always been a potential threat in the men's doubles circuit on the ATP tour, but what brings Tennis into the limelight this year is the introduction of the mixed doubles event at the Olympics after a long gap.And the Indian players, most of all Sania Mirza, strongly believe they are contenders for a medal in this event. This might very well be the case, with both Sania and the men (Paes, Bhupati, and Bopanna) doing considerably well on the WTA and ATP circuits respectively.
Till last year, there were hopes for all the singles and doubles events, but with Somdev literally out of contention due to an injury since the beginning of the year, and Sania's singles ranking showing no signs of defying the law of gravity, it all boils down to the doubles. Sania, after showing initial promise in the singles with a career high ranking of 27, has now quickly settled into the Indian habit of being a doubles specialist. She's had a remarkable run with Elena Vesnina of Russia since exactly an year ago, when they won the Premier level Indian Wells event. Since then, she has won 3-4 doubles titles (13 in all), been to a couple of grand slam finals and semifinals in both the mixed and women's doubles, and has remarkably broken into the top 10 (currently ranked 7). She understands that she needs to be ranked in the top 10 in doubles or top 64 in singles to participate in any event, and with singles looking like a distant possibility, she has decided to focus entirely on the doubles this year, and skipping singles WTA tournaments, to maintain her top 10 ranking, which will be difficult, as she's defending a lot of points from last year. However having made it to the SFs in both the doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open, a win at Pattaya, and couple of other SFs, she's in good nick, and could easily maintain her top 10 ranking till June. This will allow her to play in both the women's and mixed doubles at the Olympics. But the prospects of a doubles medal are severely hampered, as there is no other Indian girl even close to international levels, and it would be tough to see Sania and her prospective partner top the pre-quarterfinal appearance by her and Sunitha Rao in the 2008 games. Hence, in interview after interview, Sania has reiterated that the mixed doubles is the best chance for India to score a medal in Tennis.
On the men's side, its all messed up. Paes and Bhupati, the Indian express, got back together last year with an eye on the Olympics, and did a pretty decent job. On the other side Bopanna was working up a miracle with Pakistan's Quereshi. Hence it was a shock when Paes and Bhupati decided to split at the end of the year, causing a split in the other team too. Now Bhupati has teamed up with Bopanna, while Paes is playing with Stepanek. Bhupati-Bopanna pairing seems like an obvious shut out of Paes from the men's doubles event, which is ironic, as Paes is the highest ranked Indian, and has had a fantastic year, winning the Australian Open doubles and runner up in the mixed doubles, and doing pretty well in most ATP tournaments. On the other hand, Bhupati and Bopanna have not lived up to their individual potentials as a team, and have just managed a single title recently, with Bhupati not even being in the top 10.
Though its not the players who decide who gets to partner whom at the Olympics, Bhupati and Bopanna playing in the Men's doubles seems like a foregone conclusion. So for the mixed doubles event, its a problem of ek anaar, teen beemaar for the AITA (All India Tennis Association).
IF Bhupati and Bopanna play in the Men's doubles, it would logically mean that Paes gets to partner with Sania in the mixed doubles. This may not sound so bad, as Paes does pretty well in most of the grand slams wit different partners, and they have won the Doha Asian Games gold together, but that was in 2006. However, Sania and Bhuapti have played in the mixed doubles of grand slams frequently, winning the Australian Open, and finishing runner up and a SF appearance this year. So they ought to play Bhupati with Sania in the mixed doubles. So far, Sania has been discrete, as have the men, leaving the decision making on AITA. But one gets a feeling this one will be a tough nut to crack for the AITA. Lets see, who walks away with the prize?
