India No 1 tennis player Leander Paes assured that the game was bigger than everyone, and mentioned the rebel players paralyzed the Indian team for the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania group ‘I’ tie against Korea with instable preferences.
“'The game is bigger than all of us. It will always be,” Paes told at the pre-draw press conference at the R.K. Khanna Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Captain S.P. Misra, whom Paes admired for his “gentle and quiet style”, also said: “captain and players come and go, the game goes on”.
Detailing that he had a lengthy chat with Somdev Devvarman at the Australian Open, Paes mentioned that it was crucial for the players, “to be clear about what they want”.
Attending a press conference, Paes expressed his views politely on the subject and the role played by a segment that resulted in the player revolt, Paes stressed that it was necessary for all to care for the game.
“The essence should not be lost, and country should not suffer,” he said.
Paes indicated that he was always available to play for the country, with the lone exception of some rare instances. He said “rebellion was not important”, at the expense of playing for the country.
It is because of the rift between players and team that India could not send a complete to the 2012 Olympics as well because Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna backed off from playing as per the federation’s guidelines.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Olympics bronze medallist, who had assisted the team in sealing the tie by emerging victorious during the fifth rubber at the same venue on grass in 1991 against Korea, said the Koreans were a resilient lot.
Paes also mentioned that he was very generous and proud of the current generation of players in the Indian squad. “I love to play for the people. It is more important than playing for self. In the last 12 months, the partners have switched around, and I haven’t got a choice. I will not do the selection,” said Paes, though he candidly warned that Purav Raja would have to display his best skill to let him through the doubles rubber on Saturday.
Raja, an emerging player already achieved a career-best doubles rank of 120 and has participated at Challenger level effortlessly, was totally composed and reacted aptly by saying that Paes should be able to carry him through a five-setter if pushed.
On his current role, Paes detailed that the atmosphere in the team was totally upbeat and excellent to the core and he was “at the end of every joke”. From a positive aspect, Paes advised that the side had viewed a film on Tuesday evening, and refrained to mention the name of it, allowing everyone to speculate that it could be his film “Rajdhani”.
On a more professional note, Paes replied that it was for the first time in a long time that the Indian team was venturing into a home tie as an underdog.
