Kolkata: Former Davis cup captain Naresh Kumar on Wednesday welcomed the All India Tennis Association (AITA) move to bring Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes together in the Davis Cup team. Mr Kumar, who has been the non-playing captain for India feels it will be a wonderful to see them set their differences and put their best foot forward for the country against Uzbekistan in the second round of the Asia/Oceania Group 1 Davis Cup tie, beginning on April 7.
“Of course I welcome the move. They have been fighting for quite some time (laughs). If they can get together like they did during their playing days, it will be great for Indian tennis.”
Naresh further added, “Two or three years ago all these fights were taking place, we have to get out of that. Let us hope that with Bhupathi’s coming back, there is reconciliation. Mahabharata is over,” Kumar, 87, told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing Rendez-Vous A Roland Garros national series tennis tournament at the red clay courts of the Dakshin Kalikata Sansad (DKS) here.
Asked whether he foresees the camaraderie between the pair who have a Davis Cup record of longest winning streak in doubles, with 23 straight wins, rekindling again at the twilight of their careers, Kumar said if you’re not pals off the court, it is difficult to strike a chord on it.
“I can’t say. That’s a personal thing between them. Whether they are really at peace or not, I can’t say. But it’s a very good sign if they are going to come together. They say that when they get together their chemistry works. You can say what you like. If you’re not friends, to make chemistry on the court is not easy. But maybe they are special.”
Paes and Bhupathi’s enviable 303–103 career record together earned them the name ‘Indian Express’. It will be interesting for the tennis lovers of the country to see how they get along with each other, with Bhupathi as the non-playing captain.
“Look at the knowledge they have. Bhupathi has a beautiful backhand which he can teach. Paes is endowed by a gift which he can show them but may not be able to give,” Kumar said of veterans being brought back to coaching the youngsters in the Davis Cup.
Besides the star-duo, the six-member Davis Cup squad also includes singles specialists Yuki Bhambri and Ramkumar Ramanathan, along with youngsters N Sriram Balaji and Prajnesh Gunneswaran. It will be further pruned to four two weeks before the rubber to be held in Bengaluru.
On being asked how he sees the young generation of tennis players, Naresh said, “We have to have better players. And this new lot that has come in will be tested, the likes of (Saketh) Myneni and others. Whether they are up to the mark or not, time will say. It is very difficult for players as you require to play against top class competition. You need a lot of money to play against top players all over the world, which is missing here.”
“And for that you need a lot of money to go and spend and then u can move up, and that is missing here. A lot of our players have come from the American system, Somdev, before that Jasjit Singh Shashi Menon, these people supported our Cup. And they were all inter-collegiate players from the American college system. Among the young players, Ramanathan has been impressive”.
Naresh Kumar stood beside Paes’ decision to carry on playing for the country. On being asked whether he should make way for young players, Kumar said, “It’s a very difficult question. If you watch Leander’s mixed doubles matches, and you watch closely he will win the crucial points. You have to have panache to be still doing that, and confidence. The other boys maybe better players, but on the crucial occasion this fellow is putting his neck forward. So that’s his greatest quality.”