Rio review tennis: Unwanted drama and a medal lost

It's a matter of conjecture what Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna would have achieved had they gone to Rio without the drama that preceded the Indian tennis team's departure for Rio. India traded mental edge and lost a potential medal. Again.
Sania Mirza, ranked no.1 in women's doubles and Rohan Bopanna, in the top-10 of the men's doubles when he nailed a spot in the Olympics in June, voiced their choices for partners.Neither picked the 50-something ranked Leander Paes. However, the All India Tennis Association's selection committee, in all its questionable wisdom, decided to checkmate the 36-year-old Kodava and entered him with Paes rather than his choice of Saketh Myneni.
Why? Paes, 43, was gunning for a personal milestone of a seventh Olympic Games. It is indeed commendable that Paes has stayed the course, but pursing a meaningless record at the cost of experience for one of the younger players was rank bad choice. Bopanna wasn't in the running for a medal partnering Paes or Myneni, but had India gone with the younger player, it would've counted as investment rather than employing decorative measures.
A day before the mixed-doubles draw, the story of Sania and her doubles partner Swiss Martina Hingis breaking up, stirred a media circus. The Indian combine started their campaign battling nerves more than the opposition. It was never more obvious than in the semifinals against the American pairing of Rajeev Ram and Venus Williams. A medal would've been redemption for Indian tennis, which had become an embarrassment to the Indian contingent in the last few Olympics. The way Sania and Bopanna handled themselves in Rio, it was clear, that at least the players were attempting to shut the door on one of the ugliest chapters in Indian sport, looking for a fresh start. Replacing drama with dignity.
RESULTS
Men's Doubles (first round): Leander Paes/Rohan Bopanna lost to Lukasz Kubot/Marcin Mat kowski (Pol) 4-6, 6-7 (6-8);
Women's doubles (first round): Sania Mirza/Prarthana Thombare lost to Shuai Peng/Shuai Zhang 6-7 (6-8), 7-5, 5-7;
Mixed doubles: First round: Sania Mirza/Rohan Bopanna beat Sam Stosur/John Peers (Aus) 7-5, 6-4;
Quarters: Sania/Bopanna beat Andy Murray/Heather Watson (GBR) 6-4, 6-4;
Semis: Sania/Bopanna lost to Venus Williams/Rajeev Ram (USA) 6-2, 2-6, 3-10;
Bronze medal play-off: Sania and Bopanna lost to Radek Stepanek/Lucie Hradecka (Cze) 1-6, 5-7.