There are two ways of looking at the mess that has emerged out of the tennis dressing room. First, that we should not get overly ruffled by players flexing their muscle at the cost of national interest. That, because medal hopes in Olympics are dismal anyway, so all this drama shouldn’t really matter.
Second, that we should really get annoyed by the goings-on because whatever hope we have to mark our presence in the Big Games this year, is being taken away by a federation that has no hold over its players, players who may be professionals but are far from being patriotic, a Ministry that has sided with such players and an entire nation that is helplessly reading about the unfolding fruitless controversy around a sport that is erroneously pegged on individuals with hulk egos.
Look at how ridiculous the scenario has been made out to be — Mahesh Bhupati will not play with Leander Paes because he feels the latter is a ‘backstabber’. Rohan Bopanna, who incidentally will be playing his first Olympic ever and is not known to flower in big moments, quotes deep “friendship” issues in his inability to partner Leander Paes.
World doubles No 7, Paes feels too embarrassed to step into court with a rookie — that after declaring he will go with whoever his federation pairs him with! Unable to stand up to the Bhupati-Bopanna pressure, the federation gives them the pairing they seek but strikes back in a more killing manner — by denying Bhupati a mixed doubles pairing with Sania Mirza and instead pairing her with Paes!
Sania is yet to get her wild card entry but she is sure to protest at the ridiculousness of it all once she does on June 28. For God’s sake! She has just won a grand slam title with Bhupati but is being asked to partner Paes, someone with whom she went down to a rookie Scottish duo without premise in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Phew! So, in all this mess of egos, tantrums, muscle-flexing, lobbying and what not, India as a nation stands to lose two medal hopes — in the mixed doubles and men’s doubles events.
Imagine something like this ever happening in China. Yes, it is unimaginable there for the simple reason that their sports authorities are no self-indulgent, squabbling set of administrators. Their main job is to do whatever it takes to get the nation a medal in every strain of every sport and in this pursuit there is no question of personal player egos making even a hesitant entry. Olympics is serious business there, much like economy, defence and other such issues defining China’s well laid out path to the top of the world. A Bhupati and a Bopanna would have definitely attracted strict punishment had they expressed their personal choices of play in the dragon country.
But then, sports in India, is like cake over bread for a BPL family. It has always been peripheral to our nation and its interest. If we get a medal, we will go berserk with pride. If we don’t, we quickly believe we were never meant to and carry on with life as usual.
Going into London, as it is, our medal hopes are wafer thin. Already, everyone in the hockey administration or out of it has declared that the sixth position would be like a podium finish for us. And that’s our national sport we are talking about!
Archery is our sunshine section, more than shooting this time round. Other than that, our wrestlers and boxers will be vying for at least one medal each though that too looks a tad difficult. Yes, Mary Kom may get us one in women boxing, this being the only Olympic in which she will ever figure, thanks to her sport making its maiden entry in London 2012.
Then there is badminton and Saina Nehwal who gives us some hope, but the Chinese are kings and queens on this circuit so one will only be praying for India’s most successful badminton girl.
Other than these hopes which one can count on fingertips, our nation of one billion plus will be counted from the bottom in the list of achievers at London which is a sad commentary in itself. Add to that the tennis mess and one would understand why we Indians are not natural winners. No, it is not only about our physical limitations only, it is more about our mental limitations which do not let players like Bhupati and Paes go for the kill instead of killing each other and national hopes alongside.
No really, it is very upsetting to hear someone like Bopanna speaking on issues that should not concern him at all. After all, what has he achieved till now to actually have the gall of questioning his selectors? Has he even been to the Olympics ever? Is he anywhere near the top 10 doubles pairing in the world? Has he really achieved anything of significance on the court till now to actually have the authority to meddle with pairings? None at all, but then this is India where opinions are not only needlessly expressed but also get an illegal platform of clout to get be addressed and accepted.
One can understand Bhupati’s reservations against Paes and his inherent untrustworthiness. But had the otherwise mild-mannered Bhupati stopped to think about his personal gain by overlooking Paes’ past misdemeanours, India would have got its best shot at an Olympic medal.
But thanks to having allowed our selectors to surrender to individual egos, propelled by political patrons of the game, India seems to have already lost the race for at least two medals. What can be more disgusting than finding our nation in a situation which is totally personal and more than that, unnecessary and avoidable?
Source: Published in The Sunday Pioneer, June 24, 2012
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