Rediff
Orlando, Jul 10: They may have played just one tournament together, but Leander Paes is not worried about his on-field chemistry with Mahesh Bhupathi.
The Indian Davis Cup captain is confident that the 'Indian Express' pair will dish out quality tennis in the Beijing Olympics.
After a long hiatus, the bickering duo recently teamed up and finished runners-up in the Ordina Open as they kick-started their preparations for the Olympics.
"We were a little unlucky not to win (the Ordina Open) when we were up a break in the first set in the final. But when it comes to Mahesh and myself, the on-court chemistry is something we don't have to worry about," Paes told CNN-IBN in an interview.
"It is more about injuries, physical fitness; it is more the camaraderie off-court that we need to focus more. But as far as tennis goes, it is of a very high level. We don't need to play that many tournaments to find that chemistry again," he said.
Paes does not deny the bad blood between him and Bhupathi, but insists that it does not affect the show when he walks out in the middle with him.
"When I step on the court with Mahesh I go there and do my job and when I get off that I just move away and do my own things. We are two very different people and we do things differently. When the matches finishes or the practice is over we just move away and do our own things," said Paes, who partnering Bhupathi won three Grand Slam titles.
Asked about the burden of expectation that would rest on the shoulders of the duo, Paes said, "We have got to be very realistic about these expectations that we have. At the end of the day when it comes to the Olympics, we not necessarily have to look at the medal-winning round; we have got to look at every single match.
"The first round, the second round. That's when you build your confidence, that's when you build your rhythm in the tournament. For me right from the first match, one's really going to focus hard and try and get our rhythm in that environment in Beijing."
Paes and Bhupathi, the former world No. 1 team, had finished fourth at the 2004 Athens Olympics, going down in the bronze medal match to Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic.