The big story: February’s Davis Cup tie to be his last?

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has reportedly asked Indian tennis legend Leander Paes to consider retirement after February’s Davis Cup tie against New Zealand in Pune, according to ESPN. AITA wants to spare Paes the embarrassment of being dropped for future Davis Cup ties, even though the 43-year-old hasn’t spoken about retirement. However, Paes has told AITA that he would ‘think over it and plan accordingly’.

Paes was picked over Rohan Bopanna for the tie against the Kiwis. Bopanna’s omission caused an uproar with the player slamming the AITA for its decision to overlook his merit as India’s highest-ranked player. “Despite his low ranking, we opted for Paes since (Rohan) Bopanna and Saketh (Myneni) had lost to New Zealand in straight sets in the previous tie,” an official told ESPN. “In future though, it may not be possible for us to pick him over other higher-ranked doubles players.”

After his record seventh Olympic appearance last year, Paes has yet another record in sight. He wants to surpass Italy’s Nicola Pietrangeli, with whom he’s currently tied on 42 doubles wins in the all-time Cup greats list. A reason for AITA to offer him a final shot at history. “Once he gets this record, it would be an ideal setting for him to leave the stage. Paes is well aware of the ground realities and the decision is for him to make,” the official added.

Other top stories

Tennis

  • India’s Sumit Nagal has been dropped from the Davis Cup team for the upcoming New Zealand tie due to serious breach of discipline. During the tie against Korea in Chandigarh in July last year, Nagal skipped morning practice sessions due to a hangover, among other transgressions.
  • Defending champion Novak Djokovic began his title defence with a brilliant 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over Spain’s Fernando Verdasco. Djokovic will face Uzbek Denis Istomin in round two.
  • Serena Williams moved into round two with a straight-set win over Belinda Bencic. The Six-time Australian Open champion won 6-4, 6-3 against her 19-year-old opponent.
  • World No. 9 Rafael Nadal entered round two of the Australia Open with a straight sets win over Germany’s Florian Mayer. Nadal, who lost in the first round last year, beat Mayer 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Cricket

  • Despite over a day having passed since the India’s remarkable three-wicket win over England in the first ODI in Pune, both teams are yet to depart for Cuttack, where the second game is set to start on January 19. The reason for the delay is being attributed to the unavailability of hotel rooms in Cuttack, Indian Express reported.  
  • Former Pakistan batsman Muhammad Yousuf said Sachin Tendulkar was a better performer than Virat Kohli despite the current India captain’s recent form.
  • Leading domestic cricketers have criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s decision to have Ranji Trophy matches at neutral venues, PTI reported on Tuesday.  
  • Former England cricketer Monty Panesar has been recruited by Cricket Australia as a spin-bowling consultant for their tour of India next month. They have also hired former India spinner Sriram Sridharan as a consultant. 
  • Former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin has moved the Hyderabad High Court challenging the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s decision to bar him from contesting elections for the post of president, NDTV reported.
  • Four state units, Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Madhya Pradesh, who are associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, have filed separate pleas in the Supreme Court asking it to recall its order that set a nine-year cap on tenures.
  • India women’s Twenty20 International skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was charged with breach of conduct by Cricket Australia for her actions during the ongoing Big Bash League.
  • Former South African Test skipper AB de Villiers has made himself unavailable for selection for the upcoming Test series in New Zealand in March.  
  • Former India captain Kapil Dev was on Tuesday inducted into Legends Club ‘Hall of Fame’ in presence of former India captains Ajit Wadekar, Sunil Gavaskar and Nari Contractor at the Cricket Club of India.

Football

  • Ex-Manchester United and Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal has retired from coaching after a 26-year long career.   
  • Confusion still reigns over the availability of Liverpool’s Joel Matip. However, according to BBC, he could miss six more games.
  • Neymar is more valuable than Lionel Messi in Europe says a new study that values both players at more than €100 million. Neymar is worth about €216 million, ahead of team-mate Lionel Messi, who is valued at €149 million.
  • Premier League club Chelsea will not sell striker Diego Costa amid reports of the Spaniard being a target of Chinese clubs.
  • West Ham United have rejected a second bid from Marseille for striker Dimitri Payet. 
  • Goals from Lalruatthara and Jayesh Rane gave Aizawl a 2-1 win over Shillong in the I-League on Tuesday. 
  • Mohun Bagan made it three wins out of three as they thrashed Minerva Punjab 4-0 in their I-league encounter on Tuesday.  
  • DSK Shivajians scored a goal in either half to beat Chennai City FC 2-0 in an I-League tie in Pune on Tuesday.  

Chess

  • India’s Grand Master Pentala Harikrishna eked out an easy draw against Sergey Karjakin of Russia in the fourth round to consolidate his position in the Tata Steel Chess tournament here tonight.

Wrestling

  • Sandeep Tomar and Rajneesh steered Haryana Hammer to a came-from-behind win over Jaipur Ninjas to enter the final of the Pro Wrestling League.
  • World champion Sachin Siwach (49kg) and bronze-medallist Naman Tanwar (91kg) on Tuesday pulled out of the Youth Men’s and Women’s National Boxing Championship.

Badminton

  • Young Indian shuttlers Harsheel Dani, Pratul Joshi and Hemanth M Gowda advanced to the second round of the season-opening Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament on Tuesday.