New Delhi: Veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes was on Tuesday ruled out of the upcoming Davis Cup World Group play-off tie against Japan as he has not recovered from the back injury, he suffered during the US Open.
The development means that Rohan Bopanna will have to shoulder the burden of playing the doubles rubber apart from playing the singles, yet again.
There was no need to name a replacement as Vishnu Vardhan is already with the team in Tokyo as a reserve player.
It will be second straight Davis Cup tie, which Paes will miss due to injury. He had withdrawn from the World Group first round tie against Serbia in March due to a wrist injury.
Mahesh Bhupathi had also missed that tie in Novi Sad due to a groin injury.
Paes had, last week, opted out of the US Open mixed doubles semifinals along with Russian partner Elene Vesnina after suffering back spasm.
"Leander is still in the US. I spoke to him last night and he is still unwell. He is certain to miss the tie. He had undergone an MRI scan and a clear picture on his injury will be known only in three-four days," Col Ranbir Chauhan, AITA Executive Director (Development) said.
Paes and Bhupathi, who re-united early this year, make a formidable combination and were favourites for the doubles rubber of the tie, starting Friday.
The winner will move to the elite-16 nation World Group.
India had entered the World Group after beating Brazil 3-2 but the 1-4 defeat against Serbia in the first round brought them back to the play-off stage.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.