Bhupathi hints at reunion with Paes

Post by **Dhruv** » Sun Apr 06, 2003 6:22 pm

Kolkata, Apr. 6. (PTI): In a significant statement, Mahesh Bhupathi today hinted at a possible reunion with Leander Paes in future, as the tennis fraternity here urged the former world's top doubles team to sink their differences and play together for the good of the country.
Bhupathi, slated to team up with Max Mirnyi of Belarus after a brief stint with Briton Tim Henman, said Paes had a talk with him on coming together again in the circuit.
"It may happen sooner or later... but we have not decided anything so far," Bhupathi said after the Davis Cup tie against New Zealand at the Calcutta South Club.
Paes, however, preferred to remain silent.
The pair, who reunited on the court today after two months to demolish the Kiwis in the doubles of the Cup tie, was recently urged by Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly to try a reconciliation for the third time.
Both the players had earlier maintained a diplomatic silence about their reunion.
The former world number one pair in doubles had severed ties for the second time last year and now have individual doubles rankings of 5 (Bhupathi) and 13 (Paes) respectively.
Lee-Hesh had last teamed up two months back while playing for India in the Davis Cup tie against Japan in Delhi, that they won in style.

Got this off PTI and the Hindu, hopefully not an April Fool's thing. But I thought I'd put this up for an open thread

. I'm sure it'll get some action.....

Post by **jayakris** » Mon Apr 07, 2003 1:24 am

If this is really going on, then I am sort of stunned. Did I get some sort of 6th sense when I wrote that crap for April Fools or what, and the timing of it! .. I had absolutely no info on anything like that, and I don't think I still believe that they will join together again. I simply didn't get any such feeling when I saw both at the Indian Wells a few weeks back. Heck, may be some senior folks have indeed been trying to bring them back together, like I said in my april fools crap?

I guess if the parties in any reconciliation effort saw my note on Apr 1, they would think somebody has been leaking something to me! Pretty weird - not that I thought of the scenario (which is not too far-fetched), but that I wrote it just about when something seems to have been on!

Anyway, here is the Hindu article:
http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2003/0 ... 471900.htm

Jay[/url]

Post by **jayakris** » Mon Apr 07, 2003 1:52 am

This Telegraph article today seems to say that there has been no talk --

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1030407/a ... 849154.asp

Jay

Post by **jayakris** » Mon Apr 07, 2003 1:59 am

I guess the Times of India report is much more positive, seeing how the thing happened at the press conference -- Read this:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms. ... d=42602330

Hey, could this be? could this be? ...

Jay

BSharma · Post by **BSharma** » Mon Apr 07, 2003 2:29 am

I would love to see Leander and Mahesh play together as a team but I think the chances of it happening seem remote. Unless both players are doing badly with other partners consistently then perhaps they may get together for monetary reasons. Earlier Mahesh was doing well with Miryni but Leander was having trouble and now Leander is doing well but Mahesh is still trying to find the right partner. I think they have burned enough bridges between themselves that their reunion seems unlikely. I hope my assessment is wrong.

PKBasu · Post by **PKBasu** » Mon Apr 07, 2003 3:41 am

Potentially wonderful news.
And the logic of coming together again, especially in the Olympic year, is particularly compelling.
But I'm wary about what the press is reporting, because there are different versions floating around about what precisely Mahesh said -- the Hindu reports "we will get together sooner or later", while it becomes "very soon" (with no mention of later) in the Times of India. There is also a disclaimer about nothing having been decided yet in the next sentence of Mahesh's remarks, that ToI left out.
So the deal ain't done yet. I just hope these rumours don't have any negative side-effects for the two players' current partnerships (with Rikl and Mirnyi).
But a pat on the back is due to Jaidip Mukerjea, Sourav Ganguly and our very own Jay (even if inadvertent) for taking the initiative to bring them together.

Post by **jayakris** » Mon Apr 07, 2003 4:01 am

Hey, I had nothing to do with this. I wish I had not got a "revelation" on April fools day and joked about it. Sometimes, if something is happening in the background, it is better that nobody talks about it - even unknowingly. Now it is out there, and it will put both of them in uncomfortable situations. If I started this off at an inopportune time and made the press ask questions that they would not have otherwise asked, I feel I hadn't done that.

But then again, if something comes out of it, terific. The OIlympics thing is probably the biggest reason for them to do something; I think they both value that a last piece of history, before walking into the sunet in a few years - and this may be one goal that both may be on the same page about. At least I hope so.

Anyway, it would be rather unfair for LP to break off the good stuff with Rikl for this year. There is time. Let both relax till the end of the year and if things are all fine, then it would be nice to try something together next year if they are up to it with a few months of lead to the Athens Olympics.

Jay

PKBasu · Post by **PKBasu** » Mon Apr 07, 2003 6:21 am

Sometimes the smallest ripple can set off a tidal wave.
So Jay's April Fool's joke has had the inadvertent effect of setting the cat among the pigeons on this little trail -- to mix many metaphors.
This forum sometimes has the most unexpected impact on things. Jay, you shouldn't begrudge the fact that you've started a forum that is now the primary source of information on Indian tennis. Reporters routinely pick up stuff from here and write stories about it. Nothing to be embarassed about.

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