By IANS
Kolkata : Indian Davis Cup captain Leander Paes is not sure if the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be his last tie with his one time doubles partner Mahesh Bhupathi.
“I won’t call it (playing together in Beijing) a final tango for me, at least. We have a few Davis Cup matches coming up. Let’s see if he plays that,” Paes said here, when asked whether Beijing would see the duo part ways forever.
Paes’ comments came a day after his estranged partner Bhupathi said that the duo would be teaming up to get India a medal at Beijing.
Bhupathi’s relation with Paes touched a new low during the Asian Games in Doha last year after which the pair broke up. The pair won three Grand Slam titles — twice at Roland Garros and once at the Wimbledon.
Paes is now concentrating on the Australian Open, where he partners Australian Paul Hanley.
“(Paul) is 29, motivated and we have won one tournament we played together in Thailand,” Paes said, speaking on the sidelines of the National Grasscourt Championship at the South Club.
Paes was critical about the tournament: “It’s a pity to see the top (Indian) players skipping it as the price money is poor.
“About the rest of the group, they are not threatening by any length of imagination. As the captain it would be very satisfying if someone knocked me off in the singles, but I don’t see that happening.”
About his decision to part ways with doubles partner Martin Damm, he said: “Martin’s priorities have changed after his third child, and I respect that.”
On the toughest doubles partners in the circuit, Paes said: “The Bryan Brothers are way ahead but the pair of Max Mirnyi (Belarus) and Fabrice Santoro (France) would be very interesting. They have solid all-round games and could be a handful.”