Bangalore/ New Delhi: India's ace tennis player Leander Paes said that he was yet again ready to take the responsibility of playing a crucial role in the Davis Cup World play-off tie against Serbia which begins on Friday.
Commenting on Somdev Devvarman's comment that the tie could hinge on doubles outcome, Paes, who will partner with Rohan Bopanna, said he was ready to take the pressure.
"The tie will be intriguing. Saw in the morning that Somdev said that the tie hinges on the doubles. I will always take the pressure, but there are four singles and one doubles," he said.
"Check the stats. I think I have played with nine generations of Indians. Played with Zeeshan (Ali) in my first tie, in February 1990. Playing under Anand (Amritraj) is great fun. He is very relaxed. No matter what, good advice. Very peaceful man," said Paes, a veteran of India's many a Davis Cup campaigns.
"Now, I am ready to take the pressure," he told reporters after the practice session at Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA).
Paes asked his double partner Bopanna to play aggressive tennis to give a good start to India.
"If Rohan plays soft and tries to just keep ball in play, the ball will go everywhere. Came out and saw him today, he asked me for a couple of tips. Rohan is a firepower player, that is his strength," he said.
"He (Bopanna) is like a bull, you let him run right through the opponents," said Paes whom Bopanna had refused to pair up for the 2012 London Olympics.
"For me, so many partners, I take different roles. With Mahesh (Bhupathi), I always led. With Radek, sometimes I lead, sometimes not. Here I feel that Rohan will lead, and I will be the solid one," he said, adding that he would be playing along with Bopanna for the third time.
Asked if India can take a 2-0 lead on the first day, Paes said opening day would be crucial in a Davis Cup tie, but would not want to predict as the two Serbian players, including Nenad Zimonjic, are solid.
"Day 1 is crucial for all Davis Cup matches, but I don't want to predict. The two Serbian guys are two solid players," he said.
Replying to another question, Paes said, "Inexperience shows, can visibly see it. Home advantage, in tight situations, pressure gets to you. Some people thrive in it, some don't."
On his return to Davis Cup, Paes said he committed himself to play the tie after Indian captain Anand Amritraj accepted his obligation on September 12.
"I have been playing non-stop for 15 weeks and I got a phone call from Amritraj and Rohan (Bopanna). They said they needed me. Told the captain I have an obligation on Friday early morning. Captain was fine with it. Friday afternoon after lunch return is okay," he said.
Asked about the obligation, Paes said, "Everyone knows what the reason is, I have been transparent. Don't want to dwell into it, but I want what is best for my daughter."
Paes slips in the doubles rankings:
The failure to defend his US Open title cost Leander Paes dear as the veteran Indian tennis star on Tuesday suffered a 23-place loss to slip to 35, his worst ranking in 11 years.
Paes and Stepanek, who were defending 2000 points at Flushing Meadows, had crashed out in the round of 16 following defeat against Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez.
In January 2003, Paes was ranked 38 but in the last few years, he has consistently remained in top-20.
Rohan Bopanna, with whom Paes will play the Davis Cup doubles rubber against Serbia, gained two places to find himself at 27.
Meanwhile in the singles, four in top five Indian players had their rankings hit. Somdev Devvarman lost a place to be 144 despite making the final of the Shanghai Challenger.
Yuki Bhambri was the next best Indian at number 153 though the Delhi youngster also dropped two positions.
N Sriram Balaji was the only one who had a boost in ranking as he moved five places up to 313.
Ramkumar Ramanthan and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan dropped out of top-300 as the former lost 11 places to be at 309 while the latter is now at number 318 after a steep fall of 25 places.
Meanwhile, in the WTA rankings Sania Mirza dropped two places to number seven after a semifinal appearance in the women's doubles with Cara Black.
In the Race to Singapore, the year-end championships, Sania and Cara remain at number four. Top-eight teams will compete in the Finals.
Sania won the US Open mixed doubles trophy with Brazilian Bruno Soares.
