Leander Paes criticizes the large group of Indian players who refused to play Davis Cup against South Korea because they are in dispute with the All Indian Tennis Association. That group includes four of India’s top players: Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman, Vishnu Vardhan, and Yuki Bhambri.
India was forced to play two singles players who are ranked outside of the Top 500: Ranjeet Virali-Murugesan and Vikayant Malik, both of whom lost their matches in straight sets. Paes won his doubles match with Purav Raja to keep the tie alive.
“I play for my flag,” Paes told reporters. “It is not a player’s prerogative to get involved in governance and selection. We players are supposed to play. (Before the 2012 Olympics), I was asked who I would like to play with. More specifically, which team would have better chance of winning the medal; I gave my opinion. But in the end, it was not the team that was selected and then the controversy started. But players should not get involved beyond that. It is not their prerogative. They should not get involved in selection and administration.”