Has India lost out on an Olympic medal because of Mirza, Bopanna and Paes' stubbornness?

The greatest sporting event in the world – the Olympics – is less than a month away with all athletes engaged in last-minute preparations to secure a medal. Far away from Rio, in London, the greatest event in the tennis calendar is underway, but Rio-bound Indian players in men’s doubles – Rohan Bopanna and Leander Peas - and mixed doubles – Bopanna and Sania Mirza, who chose not to team up, will no longer be part of the tournament after suffering early exits. With less than a month remaining for the quadrennial event, a valid question in every Indian fan’s mind would be about why Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna did not partner each other at the Wimbledon? The same with Leander Paes and Bopanna. But the bigger question is and whether their stubbornness will cause India a medal at Rio?

The success of the 2012 Olympics Gold medal winners is enough to understand the importance of playing together. Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi of Belarus partnered each other at the 2012 Wimbledon to prepare for the Olympics, before winning the Gold at the quadrennial event. The duo were also the ones that knocked out Paes and Mirza in the quarter-finals in the 2012 Olympics.

Talks about Mirza and Bopanna partnering each other started last year and it would have been better for India had the duo partnered each other at least from the start of the year. Although Mirza enjoyed relative success with Dodig in the Australian Open and the French Open with a semi-final and final appearance respectively, Bopanna had three different partners in all three Grand Slams this year and made just one quarter-final appearance.

But, in the pair’s defence, tennis competitions at the Rio Olympics would be played on a hardcourt surface and their performance in the grass courts at Wimbledon would not have made much difference at the end of the day. However, the pair could have improved their coordination on the court by playing with each other, especially when you consider Bopanna’s constant change of partners.

Also, read: Has India's success in Doubles tennis destroyed its Singles hopes?

To add to it, both Bopanna and Paes did not have great seasons this year in men’s doubles. While Paes exited early in every tournament, Bopanna fared much better with two final appearances in the Sydney International and Mutua Madrid Open. But, their performances in the Grand Slams have been below average.

In hindsight, if Bopanna and Paes had put aside their personal differences earlier, then they could have played a few tournaments together to prepare for the Olympics. After all, the duo have only partnered each other six times in their career, of which the last came in the Davis Cup in September 2015.

"Ideally, Bopanna and Leander should start playing a few tournaments together now," former Davis Cup captain Nandan Bal had told Rediff.com back in April.

Also, read: Leander Paes - Rohan Bopanna | A disaster in the making?

Even former World No.1 Roger Federer took time out to partner fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka before the 2008 Olympics. They played together at the Toronto Masters before going to claim the Gold at Beijing. The Williams Sisters, who won the Gold at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, played together in the Rome Masters, French Open and the Wimbledon in preparation for the Rio Olympics.

The opportunity was there, but none of the Indian pairs chose to take it. How it will affect them at the Olympics is anybody’s guess but, one thing is for sure, it would not have done any harm to their chances, had they teamed up at the Wimbledon. With tennis stalwarts from Roger Federer to Serena Williams expected to be part of the doubles competitions at the Olympics, the question about the lack of preparation is sure to come up, if the Indian players fail to produce a good display.