It's a tough pill to swallow: Bhupathi

It wasn’t at all surprising when Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna walked away from the waiting press after Tuesday’s 6-3, 6-4 second round doubles loss to French duo Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet at Wimbledon. The acrimony surrounding their participation in the London Olympics obviously can’t be forgotten in a hurry. But better sense prevailed hours after the dust settled down and the players cooled off.

 

"It's a tough pill to swallow, as we thought we had a legitimate chance. We're not just here to play and have fun. I'm personally very disappointed with how I played,” Bhupathi said, adding- "Under pressure I have been able to deliver and today I wasn't. All credit to Rohan, the last two matches he played the best two matches of the year so far. I feel I have let the team down today."

 

Bhupathi and Bopanna were seeded seventh in the tournament while the French team came in as unseeds. Bopanna, who ruled out playing for India in the 2016 Olympics in Rio, said: "The disappointment should speak for itself. When we were growing up every little kid dreams of playing for their country. I've been playing for India for such a long time but to stand on the podium is a dream for every athlete."

 

The 38-year-old Bhupathi, who has a dozen Grand Slam titles, was a bit emotional when he said: "I guess I'll have to die without an Olympic medal. It's definitely not something that's going to be in the cupboard but we gave it a good shot, and the last four times as well (at previous Games)."