In a move which could have knocked leander Paes out of Olympic reckoning, Rohan Bopanna on Friday picked Saketh Myneni as his preferred partner for the men's doubles event at the Rio Games, but the AITA is set to reject his demand.
Bopanna, who earned India a direct entry in the men's doubles event courtesy his top-10 rank, issued a statement that he has told AITA about his choice earlier in the day.
"I look forward to representing India at my second Olympics and consider it a privilege, responsibility and honour. A Direct Acceptance provides me the right to nominate my men's doubles partner, an opportunity for me to exercise my judgement as to the best possible partner for me. I am looking forward to the support and good wishes of all concerned in the lead-up to the Olympics," Bopanna said in a statement.
He did not mention the name of the player but AITA sources said that Bopanna has named Myneni as his choice.
"Yes, he wants to play with Myneni and not leander," an AITA source said.
Paes, a winner of 18 Grand Slam titles, is eyeing a record seventh Olympics, but Bopanna's choice reflects that he does not bother about the personal milestone of India's most accomplished tennis player.
Bopanna is justified in picking a partner of his choice since rules permit him to do so but at the same time it holds true that even if Bopanna had ended 11 in the world rankings on the cut-off date, he and Paes with their combined rank would have made the draw.
Sources claimed AITA acknowledged Bopanna's preference but it is understood they would not like the player to dictate terms.
"It's not a wise move. People are not going to forget if Paes happens to miss this Olympics because of Rohan... He will face lots of criticism," said an AITA official.