Paes to skip singles and play in mixed doubles

India's leading tennis player Leander Paes will not play in the singles but will instead feature in the mixed doubles with Sania Mirza in a bid to boost the country's medal prospects at the 14th Asian Games.

According to Asian Games rules, a player can participate in no more than three events, and Paes, who played in the team event and will partner Mahesh Bhupathi in men's doubles of individual events, felt that he has a better chance of winning a medal in mixed doubles than in singles, Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi told reporters in Busan on Friday.

Paes, who was to play the singles earlier, was requested by the All India Tennis Association and coach Anand Amritraj to shift to mixed doubles, to which the player agreed, Kalmadi said.

He said Paes too felt that this would enhance India's medal prospects.

India will have a second team in the mixed doubles event with Bhupathi partnering Manisha Malhotra.