Bhupathi sends signal of not teaming up with Paes

Kolkata: Indian tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi on Wednesday lobbed the ball into the court of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) on his possible pairing with Leander Paes in the coming London Olympics.

"It's not something which can be decided by Leander or me. It's up to the AITA to decide the best line-up available as far as the Olympics is concerned," Bhupathi told media persons on the sidelines of a programme here.

A successful pair, Paes and Bhupathi were nicknamed "Indian Express" in the doubles circuit where they played together since 1998 till they split for the first time in 2002.

They rejoined forces later, and have been playing together off and on, and teamed up also in the 2008 Beijing Olympics where they lost the quarter-final to Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland.

Last year, the duo reunited ahead of the Australia Open, where they reached the final. Bhupathi, who has 11 Grand Slam titles under his belt, said he was adapting with his present partner Rohan Bopanna.

"We've a long season ahead. He has proved himself at the highest level both as a singles and doubles player. So I don't think it (playing with Bopanna) will be much of a concern," he said.

Bhupathi also showered praises on Paes for his doubles triumph in the Australian Open this year partnering Czeck Radek Stepanek.

"The guy is just getting better with age, just like wine," exclaimed Bhupathi.

For Bhupathi, a good performance in the Wimbledon is no less prestigious than an Olympic medal.

"All I can say is that if I miss out on an Olympic medal but do well in Wimbledon, it wouldn't be a bad year for me," he said.

Asked about the future of Indian tennis, Bhupathi picked Yuki Bhambri and Sumit Nagal.

"Of course, Somdev is doing well. But he's not young anymore. I would say that blokes like Yuki and Nagal are excellent prospects. In fact, Nagal is the brightest young talent I've seen. At his age (14), I didn't even think of winning an Under-18 title," Bhupathi said.

"I would say that youngsters like Yuki and Nagal are excellent prospects. In fact, Nagal is the brightest young talent I've seen. At his age (14), I didn't even think of winning an Under-18 title," Bhupathi said.