Not Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna Picks Saketh Myneni For Rio Olympics

Indian tennis once again faces a 2012 London Olympics-like selection conundrum. Rohan Bopanna has named Saketh Myneni as his preferred partner for the men's doubles competition for the upcoming Rio Olympics ahead of veteran superstar Leander Paes.

After winning a direct ticket to the Rio Games by virtue of his top 10 ATP ranking, Bopanna has made his preference to the All India Tennis Association on Friday, but the national selectors may have a different choice. The Rio squad will be named on Saturday.

In a statement released to the media on Friday, Bopanna said: "A direct acceptance provides me the right to nominate my men's doubles partner, an opportunity for me to exercise my judgement as to the best possible partner for me. I have, earlier today, communicated my decision to the AITA."

But AITA CEO Hironmoy Chatterjee told NDTV.com that the final decision lies with the selection committee "which may or may not honour Bopanna's preference." As always, evergreen Paes remains a top choice.

India's tennis campaign suffered during the 2012 London Olympics due to lot of bad blood around team combination. Bopanna teamed up with Mahesh Bhupathi while Leander Paes was left to play with an inexperienced Vishnu Vardhan.

"We hope there will be no repeat of what happened in 2012. The selection committee's decision will be final and of course, Bopanna can certainly voice his preference," Chatterjee said.

Paes is keen to play in his record seventh Olympics at Rio. He told NDTV earlier this week that "he was ready" to play after winning the French Open mixed doubles title with Martina Hingis.

Paes, with 18 Grand Slam titles under his belt, is keen to partner Bopanna at Rio.

"Rohan and I are the best possible combination. We are playing at a very high level. My career speaks for itself and Rohan has also been doing well in the last 18 months. We both are ready and without a shadow of doubt; me and Rohan are the best team," Paes told Hindustan Times.

Chatterjee clearly said the AITA selection committee will not be under pressure to pick a combination preferred by a particular player. "The best team will be chosen," he added.

Bopanna will also play the mixed doubles with Sania Mirza at Rio Olympics.

(With inputs from Suprita Das)