Paes' late arrival in Rio sets tongues wagging

RIO DE JANEIRO: Some things don't change. When it comes to Leander Paes, conspiracy theories reinvent themselves.
On Thursday morning, there was much speculation about Paes' absence. Where is he? Why is he not at the Games Village? Has he refused to share an apartment with Rohan Bopanna?
Soon, pictures of Bopanna training with Nenad Zimonjic of Croatia and Max Mirnyi of Belarus did the rounds, adding further grist to the rumour mill.
Some TV channels and websites recalled the strained relations between Bopanna and Paes in the past. Leander's father, Dr Vece Paes, defended his son, saying he couldn't understand "what the fuss was all about."
Eventually, the buzz about Paes' delay settled after Martina Hingis tweeted a picture of the two at Rio airport. It could not be confirmed by TOI whether Paes has indeed made his own living arrangements, but the fact is, it is not obligatory for athletes to stay in the Village. In fact, several prefer to keep away from the Village and its distractions. They travel with their entourage, live with the support cast and join practice sessions whenever scheduled. Among big names who will not be putting up at the Rio Games Village over the next fortnight is 2012 Olympic men's gold medallist Andy Murray. Even 17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer would have stayed away from the athletes' Village had he not been forced to withdraw from the Games due to an injury.
As for Leander's travel schedule to Rio, his father Dr Vece Paes said the 1996 Olympic singles bronze-medallist was "on his way" to Rio from the US and was only "half a day" behind his scheduled arrival.
"He was due to have reached Rio on Wednesday night (Brazil time), but now he should be there by Thursday afternoon," said Paes senior.
While Bopanna travelled to Rio after playing in the Montreal Masters last week, Paes played the first three ties for Washington Kastles in the World Team Tennis before taking the flight to Brazil.
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) was aware that Paes would go to Rio after playing in Washington. "Both Rohan and Leander had collected their accreditation cards and informed us during the Davis Cup tie (in Chandigarh last month) that they would be flying to Rio on their own after playing their respective tournaments. There is no controversy in this," said senior AITA official Hironmoy Chatterjee.
Dr Paes defended his son, saying he couldn't understand "what the fuss was all about."
He pointed out that the practice of doubles players landing at the venue two days before the event was nothing new. "There have been so many instances when Leander and Mahesh (Bhupathi) reached a Davis Cup venue on Wednesday, attended the draw ceremony and practised on Thursday and Friday before playing their match on Saturday. These are professional players and don't take long to adjust."