Wild card certain for Bhupathi-Paes

WIMBLEDON, JUNE 28: The answer to the big question on who will get the final nod for the World Doubles Championships this year, is still h...

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WIMBLEDON, JUNE 28: The answer to the big question on who will get the final nod for the World Doubles Championships this year, is still hangs in balance. Though the ATP Tour Board has met, it is yet to decide whether to give the bid to Bangalore or Mumbai.

Whoever wins, one thing is almost certain, though it is still to be announced. Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes will be getting a wild card to play together, as it is a request by both main bidding parties. They are Dr CGK Bhupathi in partnership withthe Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) and the Karnataka government backed by the All India Tennis Association (AITA), or Dr Vece Paes’ Paes en sport in collaboration with promoter.

Anil Singh’s Procam Sports and according to sources, Zee Network, The Bangalore bid is being led here by former Indian Davis Cupper and ATP Tour president Vijay Amritraj, Dr. Paes, who is here in connection with the bid, told Indian Express that the “final decision, was yet to be made and would be made by the end of Wimbledon. However, a decision may be made on the 30th of this month.” According to sources, Paes en Sport reportedly made an initial bid last year, but withdrew the offer when the Leander-Mahesh combine broke up. They decided to throw their hat into the ring again this April, when interest was shown by the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association in hosting the event in their platinum jubilee year.

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At the time, their were four other bidders Bangalore, Procam Sports, The Bahamas and one from American player Jeff Tarango. The last two are no longer in the reckoning.

It is rumoured that following the TNTA’s withdrawing their bid, Paes en Sport and Procam decided to join hands to put up a bigger bid. The TV rights for the bid from this camp is reportedly to be a whopping $4.5 million. While the KSLTA will be renovating their stadium for the occasion, the plan in Mumbai is to set up temporary courts, like the ones in Hanover for the ATP World Championships.

Leander Paes may not have as bad an injury as feared. According to Dr. Vace Paes, Leander’s father, the doctors now say that the Indian ace, presently recuperating in Orlando, may not have a tear in his wrist, but may actually be suffering from `inflammation’. The doctors will do another MRI in three weeks to check again for a tear,” said Dr. Paes, “but as of now, they say that it’s inflammation. He added that “the injury may now take only eight weeks to heal instead of the twelve weeks as we initially thought.

In that case, Leander will have three weeks before the Olympics.