'Medal could've brought them together'

A medal could have brought them back, now maybe the pain of a loss could still do the same, says Vece Paes, the father of tennis ace Leander Paes.

"A gold medal or even a bronze medal could have raised chances of the boys coming back together for an extended period," said Vece Paes about the possibility of Leander and Mahesh Bhupathi teaming up once again on the pro tour.

"That's my feeling and this is something that we have all now left it to the boys to decide."

Vece, who was part of the Indian hockey team that won the bronze medal in the Munich Olympics in 1972, was the doctor attached to the Indian contingent and he helped both tennis and hockey teams. "They are very mature and they take their own decisions and cannot be influenced by others, added Vece.

And what he did not add was that they have tremendous respect for each other and are far more closer even now than what many people think. It showed in the way played together in Athens.

Difficult as it may seem to believe, the pain they experienced together in their most emotional defeat ever may yet bring them back together some time in very near future. The last few weeks indicated they still have that magic that was once the envy of all other doubles pairs in the world.