Tennis in Olympics - Not a ball game

You all are witness to just how dramatic the game of Tennis has become in India. Thus, I wonder whether these selections for the Olympics have already brought out the first “guess” list for the next season of Big Boss.

Like Coffee is to milk, like electricity is to a bulb, similarly Leander Paes was to Mahesh Bhupathi until some mystic alteration wounded their egos and now they’ve gone their own, separate ways. What heartburn? Though it’s happened to the best of us, we’ve allowed envy to get the better of us for frankly no third person cares if we’ve been estranged. Here, the case is different because the beloved pair is playing for the country; it’s not just their personal life.

If the masses of the country start their day at 6 am, stuff themselves in a train and then do the same on their way back at 8 in the evening, have you wondered who they are doing it for? The answers are many but the truth lies in the best answer that one can give to this question. The answers coming from these stars is, certainly, empty of reason.

To quote Sanya Mirza’s letter to the AITA, in which she states how she feels about being selected to play in the Olympics – “bait to pacify a disgruntled stalwart (Leander Paes)”. She feels that a whole lot of “male chauvinism” is a result of her wildcard entry into the games. However it is important to consider that the AITA would have been at the receiving end, if they did not submit the participants’ names in time.

Undoubtedly, Mirza has made the nation proud earlier in the French Open by winning the mixed doubles along with Mahesh Bhupathi. Now, being paired with Paes has reduced her to bait, according to her understanding of the situation. Sania’s ego has been hurt but surely there need not be an “estranged moment” before she can prove her preparedness in these games. What if she had written the letter to the AITA after winning any of the three shades in the Olympics this year? Sania should have been patient, and put aside her ego until the games end. If such were the case, the country would have lent their ears.