Asian Games 2018: Leander Paes makes a comeback to India squad, Yuki Bhambri given exemption
What’s the story?
India’s iconic tennis player Leander Paes has made a return to the Indian tennis camp for the upcoming Asian Games that are to be hosted by Indonesia this August.
As a result, the country’s ace tennis star, Yuki Bhambri was exempted as the All India Tennis Association (AITA) revealed the squad that includes twelve names for the Games – out of which six are those of women players.
In case you didn’t know…
Yuki Bhambri is currently occupying the 94th spot on the world rankings. He was the first ever Indian to have won the junior Australian Open title and only the fourth Indian in the history of the sport to bag a junior singles title in a Grand Slam championship.
Leander, on the other hand, has won eight doubles and ten mixed doubles Grand Slam titles and is the oldest man to have won a Grand Slam title. Paes is also considered one of the finest Indian tennis players to have played the game.
The heart of the matter
The squad announced by the AITA includes Ramkumar Ramanathan, Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Sumit Nagal, Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna, Divij Sharan, Ankita Raina, Karman Kaur Thandi, Rutuja Bhosale, Pranjala Yadlapalli, Riya Bhatia and Prarthana Thombare.
Zeeshan Ali has been named as the coach and captain of the men’s team, while the female contingent will be led by Ankita Raina.
Since Yuki Bhambri is currently ranked 94, he is probable to make the cut for the US Open and therefore the AITA selection committee has decided to exempt him. Instead, Paes is all set to make a return to the courts, as he has been named in the twelve-member squad travelling to Indonesia to represent the nation at the Asian Games.
What’s next?
The 2018 Asian Games will take place over a period of fifteen days – from August 18 to September 2, 2018.
What do you reckon of Bhambri’s exemption? Let us know in the comments section below.