Harsh Mankad said that there was no pressure on Leander Paes to play the singles in the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan
India's non-playing captain Anand Amritraj may feel otherwise, but Leander Paes defended the decision to conduct this weekend's Davis Cup tie against Spain under floodlights, saying the home players "struggle in hot and humid conditions".
Top singles players Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri on Saturday made a return to the Indian Davis Cup team even as Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna continued to be pariahs for the crucial tie against Indonesia in April.
India had a good day in office as Rohan Bopanna secured his third Grand Slam semifinal berth while Leander Paes too sealed his place in the last four stage in the men's doubles competition at the Wimbledom on Tuesday.
Indian players enjoyed a fine outing at the Wimbledon with the seasoned trio of Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna winning their respective men's doubles matches to progress into the third round in London.
Indian Aces continued their dominance in IPTL 2 with a 25-18 win over Japan Warriors on the opening day of tournament's Dubai leg on Monday.
Star player Sania Mirza has also joined Indian Tennis Players Association (ITPA) as one of its Vice Presidents, it was revealed on Sunday.
A day after sports ministry made it clear that athletes who remain unavailable for national duty would not get financial aid from it, top tennis star Leander Paes said his commitment should not be questioned since he has given his all in the last 24 years while playing for India.
Rohan Bopanna's campaign at the last Grand Slam of the season ended with defeat in the mixed doubles along with Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrwoski while India's juniors also fizzled out in the singles in the US Open in New York.
Taking exception to top Indian tennis players' reluctance to compete in the recent Asian Games, the Sports Ministry on Wednesday said individual players will be able to avail government grants only if they undertake to be available for India whenever called upon.
Indian tennis players enjoyed an all-win day at the US Open as three of them reached the men's doubles third round with their respective partners, while Sania Mirza entered the women's doubles pre-quarters.
Veteran tennis star Leander Paes has said unity in the Indian Davis Cup team was improving, and the camaraderie among players will be better when they will face tougher challengers in the 2014 Davis Cup campaign.
India's number one singles player will open the country's campaign against Wisnu Adi Nugroho in the Asia/Oceania Group I first round relegation play-off against Indonesia, beginning in Bangalore on Friday. No 2 Yuki Bhambri will lock horns with Indonesia No 1 Christopher Rungkat in the second singles.
India's Leander Paes and Canada's Daniel Nestor have lost to Andreas Seppi and Fabio Fognini of Italy 3-6, 7-5, 10-8 in their semi-final of the ATP China Open tournament in Beijing.
Leander Paes crashed out of the men's doubles, while Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna made first round exits from the mixed doubles to sum up a disappointing day for India at the French Open.
Defending champions Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek were knocked out of the Australian Open after going down in straight sets in their opening round men's doubles match in Melbourne, on Thursday. The second-seeded Indo-Czech pair lost 3-6, 5-7 to South Africa's Kevin Anderson and Israel's Jonathan Erlich in 89 minutes.
India witnessed a mixed outing in the men's doubles event of the French Open as Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna crashed out in the first round even as veteran Leander Paes and his Austrian partner Jurgen Melzer eased into the next stage, in Paris.
After being left out of the Davis Cup for the first time in 27 years, an angry Paes had on Thursday lashed out at Bhupathi, accusing his former partner of flouting selection criteria.
Leander Paes, the oldest Grand Slam champion in the Open Era, says at 40 he still has lots to learn.
Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna entered the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters, but it was curtains for Leander Paes and his Austrian partner Jurgen Melzer.
Indian Challenge ended at the Madrid Open with the straight set defeat of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna at the hands of unseeded team of Jeremy Chardy and Lukas Kubot in Madrid.
The Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna entered the quarter-finals of the men's doubles event while Leander Paes and Sania Mirza made exit with their respective partners at the Madrid Open, on Wednesday.
Leander Paes became the most successful player in the history of Davis Cup as he combined with Rohan Bopanna to not only grab a record 43rd win but also bring India back in tie against China, in Tianjin, on Saturday.
India's top singles player Yuki Bhambri regained his place in top-100 as he jumped 16 places to touch a career-best rank of 89, which now ensures him a direct entry into the main draw of Australian Open.
Leander Paes and his Austrian partner Jurgen Melzer outplayed Indian duo of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna to enter the quarter-finals of the men's doubles event of the Monte Carlo Masters.
'People tell me to forget, but it is something to learn from.' 'A couple of seconds can change your life completely.'
For veteran Leander Paes, the team of rookies fighting it out against South Korea are already 'winners', simply because they resisted the 'temptation' of joining the rebels.
It was a ceremony meant to honour their commitment to India's Davis Cup campaign over the years but just two of the eight chosen were present when the All India Tennis Association felicitated them in a brief ceremony in New Delhi on Saturday.
India's Davis Cup captain says it will be tough to decide the two slots between Prakash Amritraj, Harsh Mankad and him for the match against Uzbekistan.
Veteran Indian tennis player Leander Paes on Thursday said his fitness is still good enough to carry him into Brazil Olympic Games in 2016.
The crisis that has rocked Indian tennis deepened on Monday, with Rohan Bopanna officially snubbing the All India Tennis Association's offer to pair with Leander Paes in the men's doubles at the London Olympics.
India's challenge ended in the men's doubles at the Australian Open with the defeat of Mahesh Bhupathi and Daniel Nestor even as Sania Mirza and Bob Bryan progressed to the mixed doubles quarter-finals, in Melbourne, on Monday. Fifth seeded Bhupathi and Canadian partner Nestor were sent packing 3-6, 6-4, 3-6 by the unseeded Italian combo of Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini in the second round.
In a desperate attempt to get back to the Indian Davis Cup team, the 11 rebel players have sought intervention of Sports Ministry to resolve the crisis but their effort is unlikely to bear any fruit with the ministry categorically stating that it has "no role to play in selection matters".
India will field a depleted team for the Davis Cup tie against South Korea. With the revolting players sticking to their stand, the AITA on Friday named Leander Paes, V M Ranjit, Vijaykant Malik and Purav Raja for next month's home match.
Following his maiden appearance at the US Open, Saketh Myneni achieved a career-high rank of 137 in singles in the latest list, issued by the ATP.
Indian tennis faces a second major embarrassment in six months after negotiations between the association and disgruntled Davis Cup players failed ahead of their home tie against South Korea next month.
Tennis star Leander Paes's disastrous acting debut reminds of similar duds that Bollywood has seen over the years.
Tennis great Vijay Amritraj says there should be least controversy with regards to India's doubles combination in Davis Cup since the doubles match matters only when there are 'even singles matches'.
The Indian tennis association is refusing to be held to ransom by regular Davis Cup players, who have hinted at a possible boycott if their demands for a greater involvement in the running of the team are not met.
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