Bhupathi fumes over Mirza snub

MUMBAI: India's Mahesh Bhupathi has criticised officials after Sania Mirza was paired with fellow multiple grand slam doubles winner Leander Paes for this year's Asian Games.

The 32-year-old Bhupathi, who achieved a career mixed doubles grand slam at the Australian Open this year, has been paired with the lower-ranked Shikha Oberoi for the December event being held in Qatar.

"I'm just surprised like everybody else. All I know is that I wasn't consulted," Bhupathi, a former world number one doubles player, has been quoted as saying by the Times Now TV channel.

Davis Cup captain Paes, who won this month's U.S Open men's doubles with Czech Martin Damm, captured a bronze medal alongside Mirza at the 2002 Asiad in South Korea.   

"All I know is that everybody is pretending it is the other person's decision," said Bhupathi, whose sports management firm manages Mirza.

The 19-year-old Mirza last year became the first Indian to claim a WTA title and rose to 31 in world rankings.

Paes and Mirza are also due to team up at the inaugural Asian Hopman Cup to be staged in India in November.

Bhupathi is expected to partner Paes in men's doubles in Doha.

The duo were among the world's top pairings, winning three grand slam titles together.

In 1999, they became the first duo in 52 years to reach the finals of all four majors in a season, winning Wimbledon and the French Open.

However, they parted ways soon after, mainly due to personal differences.

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