Bhupathi gives Paes Beijing brush-off

MUMBAI, India (Reuters) - Doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi has refused to team up with his estranged partner Leander Paes at the Beijing Olympics in August.

The feuding players do not play together on the men's ATP Tour, and Bhupathi, angered that Paes has no plans to play with him before Beijing, wants to be allowed to play with Davis Cup team mate Rohan Bopanna.

"I'm not willing to go into the Olympics under-prepared and I have made this clear to the AITA (All India Tennis Association)," Bhupathi told The Indian Express newspaper.

"It's just too late to play with Leander. He has made his plans clear for the lead-up to the Olympics, that he will play with his new partner Lukas Dlouhy so that he can get enough points to make it into the Shanghai Masters.

"That means he doesn't want to prepare with me for the Olympics. We have been assigned for just a week's training in Mumbai, that too in the middle of the monsoons.

"If the AITA doesn't want to take things seriously, then they can do whatever they like."

Local media had reported on Wednesday that Bhupathi had written to the AITA seeking permission to partner Bopanna in Beijing.

"If they don't want to respect my opinion, what can I say, it's their decision. They can field whichever team they want, or none at all," Bhupathi said.