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The Rediff Interview / Dr Vece Paes

Former Indian hockey Olympian Dr Vece Paes, father of tennis ace Leander, sprang a surprise last week when he announced that the exciting and prosperous doubles partnership between his son and Mahesh Bhupathi is all but over.

Dr Paes said that Leander and Mahesh - - the former world No.1 doubles pair which last year entered the finals of all four Grand Slam events and won the French Open and Wimbledon titles - - will not play together on the ATP Tour, at least for this year, though they are open to partnering each other in the Davis Cup and Olympics. While outlining the reasons for the split, he said: ''As long as Mahesh retains Enrico Piperno as his coach, Leander is not open to a professional partnership. Thus, playing together for this year at least is out.'' A few days later, Leander confirmed what his father had said.

To clear the air Rifat Jawaid spoke to Dr Paes at his residence in Calcutta yesterday. The senior Paes, who runs Paes en Sport, a sports management company which organises and manages events and sports persons, said Leander's decision to split with Mahesh shocked not only Indian tennis lovers but him and his family as well.

How pained are you and your family members on Leander's decision to part ways with Mahesh on the ATP circuit and the Grand Slam championships?

We are disappointed that Leander and Mahesh will be not be playing together as a team on the ATP Tour, at least for this year. They were great friends, outstanding partners and reached the pinnacle of success in doubles on the ATP Tour through hard work and talent. They had achieved great honour and brought great joy to themselves, their families and all of India. As Indians, they could have created history. We respect Leander and Mahesh's decision to split and the respective families will stand by them as always.

What according to you are the factors that finally led to a split between the world's deadliest tennis duo? Answer: Leander has mentioned that Rico, Mahesh¡¦s coach, instigated the split between them. The innuendo¡¦s and misinformation fed to Mahesh, led to a mistrust between the two stars. I will not go into the details of this split, as it will lead to, as you said, I said discussion. It was this very stand off that has split them. Question: You have known Mahesh from very close quarters. How far do you feel is he responsible in the wake of Leander's criticism on coach Piperno? Answer: I would not like to comment on Mahesh or Leander¡¦s role in this problem. Suffice to say that they do not trust each other and have decided to go their own ways. Whatever chance the two players and their families have of salvaging the partnership will be lost. Question: Do you think Leander's decision will have serious ramifications on Indian tennis which has had only Leander and Mahesh as heroes of international repute in recent years. Not to mention that the duo's phenomenal success on ATP circuit and in Grand Slam events had seen hordes of kids taking up the game seriously. Answer: The ramifications of this split will definitely shake up all the sports loving Indians, particularly those youngsters who dream of being another Leander or Mahesh. At the end of the day, they are adults and professionals. They have agonized for over a year before taking this decision. We will all have to live with it and hope there may be a ¡¥tomorrow¡¦. Question: Leander has often been quoted as accusing Mahesh of not paying serious attention on his physical regimen last year. Do you think that Mahesh's poor physical aspect) too influenced Leander's decision? Answer: Leander mentioned Mahesh¡¦s physical fitness levels at challenger in Calcutta in February 1999. This was not an issue, but was a statement explaining Mahesh¡¦s loss to Leander at that particular tournament after Mahesh had won the first set. I do not believe this was an issue. Question: How soon do you foresee Leander teaming up with Mahesh once again on professional circuit? Answer: Fortunately Mahesh and Leander have consented to play in Davis Cup and the Olympics together. They have set their goals on an Olympic medal. I believe they will have to first rekindle their trust in each other and if they click at the Olympics, who knows in 2001 they could probably be together again. Question: Recently Mahesh had reportedly told a newspaper that it's Leander who didn't want to play with him. How do react to that? Answer: The split was not Leander¡¦s decision only. There was a stand off, which could not be resolved for over a year and hence the responsibility lies with both Leander and Mahesh. Question : Leander's recent impressive showing in last week notwithstanding, do you believe Mahesh's absence will affect his performance in doubles events. After all, in Leander's own admission, Mahesh and him has been the best friends for over six years thereby known each other's temperament well. Answer: Both Leander and Mahesh are champions. They are good doubles players individually and great together. Once they settle down with their respective partners, they will do well again. A brief profile of PAES EN SPORT: It is a sports management company was formed by Vece Paes and Leander Paes in 1992 with the aim to organise & manage sports events, to encourage and enhance sports awareness and to manage sports clients in the fields of Tennis, Football, Golf, Hockey and other games. In the past six years, Paes en Sport have been involved with: „h Sports Client Management of Leander Paes jointly in India with IMG; Mahesh Bhupathi, Prahlad Srinath, Syed Fazaluddin and the Indian Davis Cup Team. „h Owns and promotes three ATP Tour Challenger International Tennis events in Calcutta, Lucknow and Jaipur from 1999 and promotes the Senior National Grasscourt Tennis Championships in Calcutta from 1998 and the IBP Merchants Cup Tennis Tournament 2000. „h Organises Ace Tennis - A junior tennis development programme for approximately 250 students in Calcutta since 1992. „h Organising Sports Events - The East India Tennis Championship 1992, The Planter's Pride Junior Age Group Tennis Tournament 1994, The Kenilworth Bengal Open State Tennis Championship 1997 and Ffungama Ffort Radisson Winter Carnival 1998 to name a few. „h Providing Sports Consultancy to GGL Hotel & Resorts Pvt. Ltd. and to Sterling Resorts for their Golf Green Towers and Sylvan Farms. „h Retail Distribution - Preferred distributors of Prince tennis & squash racquets in West Bengal and exclusive distributors for Slazenger equipment & Sabona of London in Eastern India. „h _________

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