They saved five match points during their gold medal-winning final game at the Asian Games but at the end of it Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi were still busy talking about a certain break point. The ex-doubles pair on the pro-tour, who periodically came together while playing for the country, showed that it is a fragile bond that’s now keeping together India’s most celebrated sporting pair.

At the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Centre’s centre court today, if one expected relief on their faces after surviving the 5-7, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 cliffhanger against Thai brothers Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana, that was not to be. The tension of the past — and recent spat after their loss in the team event — was never more apparent.

An off-the-cuff remark from Leander — “No I won’t play with him (Mahesh) on a regular basis” — played back to Bhupathi by reporters prompted an angry outburst on what he called a continuing “soap opera.”

“I have lived with his comments for 12 years, I am hurt,” Bhupathi said. “My split with Leander is the greatest tragedy for Indian sports...,” said Bhupathi. And as an afterthought he added, “I am happy that it ended on a high.”

This sent the media scurrying back to Paes for a reaction who, by now, was partnering Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles final which they won in three sets.

After this game, Paes told The Indian Express: “Bhupathi always has a place in my team, he is a stalwart of the side and I will be happy to have him around while playing for the country.” Asked about this earlier remark, he said: “I can’t play with him (Bhupathi) at the ATP level because I already have a partner (Martin Damm). I can play at the national level, though. But tell me how many Davis Cup ties have I won with him? Why will I want to give up this opportunity?”

... contd.