The All India Tennis Association (AITA) finally announced the doubles teams for the London Olympics yesterday, with Leander Paes teaming up with Vishnu Vardhan and Mahesh Bhupathi partnering Rohan Bopanna to form the second team.
The Federation however, called its decision ‘unfair’, as Paes would have to play with a lower-ranked Vishnu Vardhan in what probably will be his last Olympics.
Former Davis Cupper Enrico Piperno, however, feels that the real problem behind the fiasco is the ‘indiscipline’ in the Davis Cup team.
Bhupathi and Paes playing a Davis Cup match in 2008. Reuters
“Our Davis Cup team today is very fragmented. All the members in the team have their own personal coaches, fitness trainers, consultant coaches etc.,” Piperno told CNN-IBN.
“Players are having the right to call and name whoever they want to be part of the Davis Cup team. That is where the discipline is lost,” he added.
Piperno pointed out how in the past the team consisted of a single coach, not only for Davis Cup but for other tournaments too.
“In the past, all Indian tennis teams, even in the Asian Games or the Olympics, always constituted of four players and a caption and a coach,” Piperno said.
“We need to discipline them. This is absolutely not acceptable.” he said.
Piperno has coached Bhupathi and Paes at different times.
