In two weeks time the Olympics-bound Indian tennis players will meet in London for their practice sessions. It will be the first time Sania Mirza will come face-to-face with her mixed doubles partner Leander Paes, since the huge controversy last month.
The duo actually had a chance to meet during Wimbledon where both were competing. But they never met.
“I actually didn’t meet Leander at Wimbledon,” Sania Mirza told CNN-IBN in an exclusive interview.
Sania says she’s put the whole controversy behind her and is now looking to win a medal at the Olympics. Reuters
Paes and Sania have never paired up for a Grand Slam and Sania says it is because they play from the same side of the court.
“One of the reasons me and Leander haven’t played in Grand Slams is because we play forehand side. Not many people understand how big a difference that makes,” she said.
“I wanted to play with Mahesh (Bhupathi) because we were playing the whole year together and also because I play forehand side and he plays backhand side,” she added.
In spite of her win with Mahesh at the French Open, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) paired her up with Leander for the Olympics.
After getting a wildcard entry into the Olympics, Sania in an open letter to the media criticised the AITA saying she had been used as a “bait to try and pacify one of the disgruntled stalwarts of Indian tennis.”
But now Sania says that all the ‘negativity’ is behind her and she’s going to the Olympics believing she has a chance to win. “We are going there believing that we have a chance to win and do whatever we can to win a medal,” she said.
