Bopanna is justified in picking a partner of his choice since rules permit him to do so, but at the same time it holds true that even if Bopanna had ended up at No. 11 in the world rankings on the cut-off date, he and Paes, with their combined ranking, would have made the draw by a margin if not comfortably.
Leander Paes's dream of winning ATP year-end finals remained unfulfilled as the veteran Indian crashed out of the prestigious event along with Czech partner Radek Stepanek after losing a must-win Group B match in London.
The pair beat Liezel Huber of USA and Jamie Murray of UK 6-7, 7-6, 10-5 in the semi-finals.
The all-Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna had to toil for victory, but Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek sailed into the second round of the Australian Open men's doubles in Melbourne on Wednesday.
'I don't think you can fault us for not trying. We kept giving our best shot because we know how special a relationship it is for not just us but the country as well'
No Indian athlete since Independence has won multiple medals at a single Games.
