Mahesh Bhupathi  | | Nickname(s) | Hesh | | Country | India | | Residence | Bangalore, India | | Date of birth | June 7, 1974 (1974-06-07) (age 35) | | Place of birth | Chennai, India | | Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | | Weight | 89 kg (200 lb; 14.0 st) | | Turned pro | 1995 | | Plays | Right-handed; two-handed backhand | | Career prize money | $4,895,318 | | Singles | | Career record | 10–28 | | Career titles | 0 | | Highest ranking | No. 217 (February 2, 1998) | | Grand Slam results | | Australian Open | - | | French Open | - | | Wimbledon | 1RD (1997, 1998, 2000) | | US Open | 1RD (1995) | | Doubles | | Career record | 557–271 | | Career titles | 45 | | Highest ranking | No. 1 (April 26, 1999) | | Grand Slam Doubles results | | Australian Open | F (1999, 2009) | | French Open | W (1999, 2001) | | Wimbledon | W (1999) | | US Open | W (2002) | | Mixed Doubles | | Career record | {{{mixedrecord}}} | | Career titles | 7 | | Grand Slam mixed doubles results | | Australian Open | W (2006, 2009) | | French Open | W (1999) | | Wimbledon | W (2002, 2005) | | US Open | W (1999, 2005) | | Last updated on: September 14, 2009. | Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi(Telugu) born June 7, 1974 in Chennai, India) is an Indian professional tennis player. He is among the best doubles tennis players in the world with 11 Grand Slam titles to his credit. In 1997, he became the first Indian to win a Grand Slam tournament (with Rika Hiraki). [1]. With his win of the Australian Open Mixed Doubles in 2006, he joined the elite group of eight tennis players who have achieved a Career Mixed Doubles Grand Slam. In 2001, he was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest awards. Bhupathi is an alumnus of the University of Mississippi in the United States. He was married to model Shvetha Jaishankar, but the couple has now separated.[2] [edit] Career Mahesh Bhupathi is best known as one of the top doubles players in the 90's and the 00's. In 1999, Bhupathi won three doubles titles with Leander Paes including Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He and Leander became the first doubles team to reach finals of all four Grand Slams, the first time such a feat has been achieved in the Open era and the first time since 1952. On April 26 that year, they became the World No. 1 doubles team. Bhupathi also won the US Open mixed doubles with Ai Sugiyama of Japan. In 2006, Bhupathi teamed with Martina Hingis in the Australian Open mixed doubles competition. Entering the tournament unseeded and as wildcards[3], the first-time pair defeated four seeded opponents along the way, while only dropping a single set throughout. Bhupathi and Hingis defeated the sixth-seeded team of Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva in straight sets, 6–3, 6–3 to capture the championship. It was the sixth mixed doubles Grand Slam for Bhupathi, and a first for Hingis. By winning Australian Open, Bhupathi completed a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles. In 2007, Bhupathi and Czech Radek Štěpánek reached the 2007 Australian Open men's doubles event's quarterfinals. He teamed with Štěpánek at the 2007 French Open to make the doubles semifinals, defeating dual-year defending champions Jonas Björkman and Max Mirnyi in the quarterfinals. The team lost to the eventual champions Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor. After Wimbledon Bhupathi teamed along with Pavel Vízner to win the 2007 Canada Masters defeating the top-ranked doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan en route. After this victory, he won a tournament in New Haven with Nenad Zimonjić. At the 2007 U.S. Open, he and Zimonjić paired in doubles. After the U.S. Open, the team that beat Bhupathi and Štěpánek in the French Open semifinals, Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor, split. Bhupathi was to become the new partner of Mark Knowles[4] while Zimonjić will partner Nestor, but back surgery means he is now expected to be out until the end of the year[5]. In 2009, Bhupathi and doubles partner Sania Mirza won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open, beating Nathalie Dechy (France) and Andy Ram (Israel) 6-3, 6-1 in the final in Melbourne. The ace Indian pair thus made up for the disappointment of last year's final when they were beaten by Tiantian Sun and Nenad Zimonjic. With this win, Bhupathi's count in mixed doubles Grand Slam titles swells to seven. [edit] Grand Slam titles [edit] Doubles - Wins (4)
- Runner-ups (5)
| Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in final | Score in final | | 1999 | Australian Open | Hard | Leander Paes | Jonas Björkman Patrick Rafter | 3–6, 6–4, 4–6, 7–610, 4–6 | | 1999 | U.S. Open | Hard | Leander Paes | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien | 6–7, 4–6 | | 2003 | Wimbledon | Grass | Max Mirnyi | Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge | 6–3, 3–6, 6–74, 3–6 | | 2009 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Mark Knowles | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 6–2, 5–7, 0–6 | | 2009 | U.S. Open (2) | Hard | Mark Knowles | Lukáš Dlouhý Leander Paes | 6–3, 3–6, 2–6 | [edit] Mixed doubles: 10 (7-3) By winning the 2006 Australian Open title, Bhupathi completed the mixed doubles Career Grand Slam. He became the eight male player in history to achieve this. | Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final | | Winner | 1997 | French Open | Clay | Rika Hiraki | Patrick Galbraith Lisa Raymond | 6–4, 6–1 | | Runner-up | 1998 | Wimbledon | Grass | Mirjana Lucic | Serena Williams Max Mirnyi | 6-4, 6-4 | | Winner | 1999 | US Open | Hard | Ai Sugiyama | Donald Johnson Kimberly Po | 6–4, 6–4 | | Winner | 2002 | Wimbledon | Grass | Elena Likhovtseva | Daniela Hantuchová Kevin Ullyett | 6–2, 7–5 | | Runner-up | 2003 | French Open | Clay | Elena Likhovtseva | Lisa Raymond Mike Bryan | 6–3, 6–4 | | Winner | 2005 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Mary Pierce | Paul Hanley Tatiana Perebiynis | 6–4, 6–2 | | Winner | 2005 | US Open (2) | Hard | Daniela Hantuchová | Katarina Srebotnik Nenad Zimonjić | 6–4, 6–2 | | Winner | 2006 | Australian Open | Hard | Martina Hingis | Elena Likhovtseva Daniel Nestor | 6–3, 6–3 | | Runner-up | 2008 | Australian Open | Hard | Sania Mirza | Sun Tiantian Nenad Zimonjić | 7–6(4), 6–4 | | Winner | 2009 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Sania Mirza | Nathalie Dechy Andy Ram | 6–3, 6–1 | [edit] Finals (79) [edit] Wins (45) | Legend (pre/post 2009) | | Grand Slam (4) | Tennis Masters Cup / ATP World Tour Finals (0) | ATP Masters Series / ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (12) | ATP International Series Gold / ATP World Tour 500 Series (6) | ATP International Series / ATP World Tour 250 Series (23) | | | Titles by Surface | | Hard (26) | | Clay (13) | | Grass (1) | | Carpet (5) | | | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score | | 1. | April 14, 1997 | Chennai, India | Hard | Leander Paes | Oleg Ogorodov Eyal Ran | 7–6, 7–5 | | 2. | May 5, 1997 | Prague, Czech Republic | Clay | Leander Paes | Petr Luxa David Škoch | 6–1, 6–1 | | 3. | August 4, 1997 | Montréal, Canada | Hard | Leander Paes | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien | 7–6, 6–3 | | 4. | August 18, 1997 | New Haven, U.S. | Hard | Leander Paes | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien | 6–4, 6–7, 6–2 | | 5. | October 6, 1997 | Beijing, China | Hard (i) | Leander Paes | Jim Courier Alex O'Brien | 7–5, 7–6 | | 6. | October 13, 1997 | Singapore | Carpet | Leander Paes | Rick Leach Jonathan Stark | 6–4, 6–4 | | 7. | January 12, 1998 | Doha, Qatar | Hard | Leander Paes | Olivier Delaître Fabrice Santoro | 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 | | 8. | February 16, 1998 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Leander Paes | Donald Johnson Francisco Montana | 6–2, 7–5 | | 9. | April 13, 1998 | Chennai, India | Hard | Leander Paes | Olivier Delaître Max Mirnyi | 6–7, 6–3, 6–2 | | 10. | May 18, 1998 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Leander Paes | Ellis Ferreira Rick Leach | 6–4, 4–6, 7–6 | | 11. | October 12, 1998 | Shanghai, China | Carpet | Leander Paes | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde | 6–4, 6–7, 7–6 | | 12. | November 9, 1998 | Paris, France | Carpet | Leander Paes | Jacco Eltingh Paul Haarhuis | 6–4, 6–2 | | 13. | April 12, 1999 | Chennai, India | Hard | Leander Paes | Wayne Black Neville Godwin | 4–6, 7–5, 6–4 | | 14. | June 7, 1999 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Leander Paes | Goran Ivanišević Jeff Tarango | 6–2, 7–5 | | 15. | July 5, 1999 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Leander Paes | Paul Haarhuis Jared Palmer | 6–7, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6 | | 16. | May 29, 2000 | St. Poelten, Austria | Clay | Andrew Kratzmann | Andrea Gaudenzi Diego Nargiso | 7–6, 6–7, 6–4 | | 17. | October 16, 2000 | Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Leander Paes | Michael Hill Jeff Tarango | 6–4, 6–7, 6–3 | | 18. | April 30, 2001 | Atlanta, U.S. | Clay | Leander Paes | Rick Leach David Macpherson | 6–3, 7–6 | | 19. | May 7, 2001 | Houston, U.S. | Clay | Leander Paes | Kevin Kim Jim Thomas | 7–6, 6–2 | | 20. | June 11, 2001 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Leander Paes | Petr Pála Pavel Vízner | 7–6, 6–3 | | 21. | August 13, 2001 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Hard | Leander Paes | Martin Damm David Prinosil | 7–6, 6–3 | | 22. | January 7, 2002 | Chennai, India | Hard | Leander Paes | Tomáš Cibulec Ota Fukarek | 5–7, 6–2, 7–5 | | 23. | May 6, 2002 | Majorca, Spain | Clay | Leander Paes | Julian Knowle Michael Kohlmann | 6–2, 6–4 | | 24. | May 20, 2002 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Jan-Michael Gambill | Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge | 6–2, 6–4 | | 25. | August 26, 2002 | Long Island, U.S. | Hard | Mike Bryan | Petr Pála Pavel Vízner | 6–3, 6–4 | | 26. | September 9, 2002 | U.S. Open, New York | Hard | Max Mirnyi | Jiří Novák Radek Štěpánek | 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 | | 27. | April 14, 2003 | Estoril, Portugal | Clay | Max Mirnyi | Lucas Arnold Ker Mariano Hood | 6–1, 6–2 | | 28. | April 21, 2003 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Max Mirnyi | Michaël Llodra Fabrice Santoro | 6–4, 3–6, 7–6 | | 29. | August 11, 2003 | Montréal, Canada | Hard | Max Mirnyi | Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge | 6–3, 7–6 | | 30. | October 6, 2003 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Max Mirnyi | Wayne Black Kevin Ullyett | 6–3, 7–5 | | 31. | October 20, 2003 | Madrid, Spain | Hard (i) | Max Mirnyi | Wayne Black Kevin Ullyett | 6–2, 2–6, 6–3 | | 32. | January 19, 2004 | Auckland, New Zealand | Hard | Fabrice Santoro | Wayne Black Kevin Ullyett | 4–6, 7–5, 6–3 | | 33. | March 8, 2004 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Fabrice Santoro | Jonas Björkman Leander Paes | 6–2, 4–6, 6–4 | | 34. | May 10, 2004 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Max Mirnyi | Wayne Arthurs Paul Hanley | 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 | | 35. | July 12, 2004 | Båstad, Sweden | Clay | Jonas Björkman | Simon Aspelin Todd Perry | 4–6, 7–6, 7–6 | | 36. | August 2, 2004 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Leander Paes | Jonas Björkman Max Mirnyi | 6–4, 6–2 | | 37. | January 17, 2005 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Todd Woodbridge | Arnaud Clément Michaël Llodra | 6–3, 6–3 | | 38. | September 18, 2006 | Beijing, China | Hard | Mario Ančić | Michael Berrer Kenneth Carlsen | 6–4, 6–3 | | 39. | October 2, 2006 | Mumbai, India | Hard | Mario Ančić | Rohan Bopanna Mustafa Ghouse | 6–4, 6–7, [10-8] | | 40. | August 12, 2007 | Montréal, Canada | Hard | Pavel Vízner | Paul Hanley Kevin Ullyett | 6–4, 6–4 | | 41. | August 25, 2007 | New Haven, U.S. | Hard | Nenad Zimonjić | Mariusz Fyrstenberg Marcin Matkowski | 6–3, 6–3 | | 42. | March 2, 2008 | Memphis, U.S. | Hard (i) | Mark Knowles | Sanchai Ratiwatana Sonchat Ratiwatana | 7–6, 6–2 | | 43. | March 8, 2008 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Mark Knowles | Martin Damm Pavel Vízner | 7–5, 7–6 | | 44. | October 18, 2008 | Basel, Switzerland | Carpet | Mark Knowles | Christopher Kas Philipp Kohlschreiber | 6–3, 6–3 | | 45. | August 16, 2009 | Montréal, Canada | Hard | Mark Knowles | Max Mirnyi Andy Ram | 6–4, 6–3 | [edit] Runner-ups (34) | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score | | 1. | July 28, 1997 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Rick Leach | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien | 7–6, 6–4 | | 2. | November 23, 1997 | Doubles Championships, Hartford | Carpet | Leander Paes | Rick Leach Jonathan Stark | 6–3, 6–4, 7–6 | | 3. | October 19, 1998 | Singapore | Carpet | Leander Paes | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde | 6–2, 6–3 | | 4. | November 2, 1998 | Stuttgart Indoor, Germany | Hard (i) | Leander Paes | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien | 6–3, 3–6, 7–5 | | 5. | February 1, 1999 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Hard | Leander Paes | Jonas Björkman Patrick Rafter | 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–7, 6–4 | | 6 | September 13, 1999 | U.S. Open, New York | Hard | Leander Paes | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien | 7–6, 6–4 | | 7. | November 15, 1999 | Doubles Championships, Hartford | Carpet | Leander Paes | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien | 6–3, 6–2, 6–2 | | 8. | June 19, 2000 | Halle, Germany | Grass | David Prinosil | Nicklas Kulti Mikael Tillström | 7–6, 7–6 | | 9. | December 17, 2000 | Doubles Championships, Bangalore | Hard | Leander Paes | Donald Johnson Piet Norval | 7–6, 6–3, 6–4 | | 10. | August 20, 2001 | Indianapolis, U.S. | Hard | Sébastien Lareau | Mark Knowles Brian MacPhie | 7–6, 5–7, 6–4 | | 11. | October 8, 2001 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Jeff Tarango | Max Mirnyi Sandon Stolle | 6–3, 6–0 | | 12. | October 29, 2001 | Basel, Switzerland | Carpet | Leander Paes | Ellis Ferreira Rick Leach | 7–6, 6–4 | | 13. | November 5, 2001 | Paris, France | Carpet | Leander Paes | Ellis Ferreira Rick Leach | 3–6, 6–4, 6–3 | | 14. | June 17, 2002 | London/Queen's Club, England | Grass | Max Mirnyi | Wayne Black Kevin Ullyett | 7–5, 6–3 | | 15. | August 12, 2002 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Hard | Max Mirnyi | James Blake Todd Martin | 7–5, 6–3 | | 16. | August 19, 2002 | Indianapolis, U.S. | Hard | Max Mirnyi | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor | 7–6, 6–7, 6–4 | | 17. | October 21, 2002 | Madrid, Spain | Hard (i) | Max Mirnyi | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor | 6–3, 7–5, 6–0 | | 18. | January 13, 2003 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Joshua Eagle | Paul Hanley Nathan Healey | 7–6, 6–4 | | 19. | May 19, 2003 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Max Mirnyi | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor | 6–4, 7–6 | | 20. | June 16, 2003 | London/Queen's Club, England | Grass | Max Mirnyi | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor | 5–7, 6–4, 7–6 | | 21. | July 7, 2003 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Max Mirnyi | Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge | 3–6, 6–3, 7–6, 6–3 | | 22. | October 13, 2003 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Max Mirnyi | Yves Allegro Roger Federer | 7–6, 7–5 | | 23. | October 18, 2004 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Jonas Björkman | Igor Andreev Nikolay Davydenko | 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 | | 24. | January 10, 2005 | Chennai, India | Hard | Jonas Björkman | Yen-Hsun Lu Rainer Schüttler | 7–5, 4–6, 7–6 | | 25. | March 5, 2007 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Radek Štěpánek | Fabrice Santoro Nenad Zimonjić | 7–5, 6–7, [10-7] | | 26. | March 26, 2008 | Miami, U.S. | Hard | Mark Knowles | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 6–2, 6–2 | | 27. | April 27, 2008 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Mark Knowles | Rafael Nadal Tommy Robredo | 6–3, 6–3 | | 28. | June 15, 2008 | s'Hertogenbosch, Netherlands | Grass | Leander Paes | Mario Ančić Jürgen Melzer | 7–6, 6–3 | | 29. | August 23, 2008 | New Haven, U.S. | Hard | Mark Knowles | Marcelo Melo André Sá | 7–5, 6–2 | | 30. | October 6, 2008 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Mark Knowles | Max Mirnyi Andy Ram | 6–1, 7–5 | | 31. | October 13, 2008 | Madrid, Spain | Hard (i) | Mark Knowles | Mariusz Fyrstenberg Marcin Matkowski | 6–4, 6–2 | | 32. | January 31, 2009 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Hard | Mark Knowles | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 2–6, 7–5, 6–0 | | 33. | April 26, 2009 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Mark Knowles | Daniel Nestor Nenad Zimonjić | 6–3, 7–6 | | 34. | September 13, 2009 | U.S. Open, New York | Hard | Mark Knowles | Lukáš Dlouhý Leander Paes | 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 | [edit] Doubles performance timeline | Tournament | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | Career SR | | Grand Slams | | Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | SF | F | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | QF | QF | 3R | QF | SF | F | 0 / 12 | | French Open | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | SF | W | 2R | W | SF | QF | SF | 1R | QF | SF | 1R | 3R | 2 / 13 | | Wimbledon | A | A | A | LQ | LQ | 1R | 2R | W | 3R | 1R | QF | F | 3R | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | QF | 1 / 12 | | U.S. Open | A | A | A | 2R | LQ | SF | SF | F | 1R | 1R | W | QF | 3R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 3R | F | 1 / 14 | | Grand Slam SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 2 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 1 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 4 / 51 | | Year-End Championship | | Tennis Masters Cup | A | A | A | A | A | F | RR | F | F | RR | NH | RR | RR | A | A | A | RR | | 0 / 8 | | Olympic Games | | Summer Olympics | A | Not Held | 2R | Not Held | 2R | Not Held | SF | Not Held | QF | NH | 0 / 4 | | ATP Masters Series | | Indian Wells Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | SF | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | 2R | 0 / 10 | | Miami Masters | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | A | A | QF | 1R | 2R | QF | A | 1R | F | 1R | 0 / 10 | | Monte Carlo Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | 2R | A | SF | 1R | W | QF | QF | SF | 2R | F | QF | 1 / 11 | | Rome Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | W | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | SF | W | SF | 2R | 1R | 2R | SF | 2 / 12 | | Madrid Masters | A | A | A | A | A | QF | F | A | 2R | QF | F | W | SF | QF | 1R | A | F | 2R | 1 / 11 | | Canada Masters | A | A | A | A | A | W | SF | A | QF | 1R | 2R | W | W | QF | A | W | QF | W | 5 / 11 | | Cincinnati Masters | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 1R | 2R | 1R | W | F | SF | QF | QF | 2R | 2R | SF | SF | 1 / 13 | | Shanghai Masters | Not Masters Series | SF | 0 / 1 | | Paris Masters | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | W | 2R | 1R | F | 2R | A | SF | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | 1 / 9 | | Hamburg Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 2R | 2R | 1R | W | F | 2R | QF | 1R | 2R | 2R | NMS | 1 / 11 | | Masters Series SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 1 / 5 | 2 / 8 | 0 / 7 | 0 / 6 | 1 / 8 | 1 / 9 | 3 / 8 | 2 / 9 | 0 / 8 | 0 / 6 | 1 / 7 | 0 / 9 | 1 / 9 | 12 / 99 | | Tournament Wins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | N/A | | Year End Ranking | 668 | 385 | 248 | 162 | 106 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 30 | 21 | 6 | | N/A | A = did not attend tournament. NH = tournament not held. LQ = lost in the qualifying draw. NMS = not Masters Series [edit] Davis Cup and Asian Games Mahesh Bhupathi has donned Indian colors numerous times for the Davis Cup as well as other international fixtures including Asian Games. Mahesh Bhupathi has played 46 matches for India in the Davis Cup (from 1995 to 2006), winning 28 and losing 18. Out of the 28 matches that he won, 20 of his victories came in doubles matches. In 2006, Bhupathi won the doubles championship with Leander Paes at the Asian Games in Doha. [edit] Relationship with Leander Paes From the pinnacle of 1999 to the depths of 2006, the relationship between two top Indian players, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi has fluctuated, turning from great to bad to worse. The two forged a formidable partnership in the late 90s and steeply climbed the ladder of the doubles rankings. They played so well as a team such that it prompted the then top Australian doubles pair of Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (known as the Woodies) to predict that they expected Bhupathi and Paes to take their place in tennis doubles after they left the scene. Together with Paes, Bhupathi featured in several memorable grand slam matches, Olympic matches as well as Davis Cup matches for India. From such a high, the relationship between the pair gradually deteriorated and reached a point of no communication. The exact cause or causes for the rift has never been known so far though various factors like ego clashes, each player garnering more attention than the other have been rumoured over the years. Just after winning the 2006 Asian games, both of the players announced that they would never play again together. In spite of the cold relationship between them, they decided to play together in the Beijing 2008 Olympics for a possible medal chance in the doubles event. Bhupathi had initially shot a letter to the AITA stating that he did not want to play with Paes in the Olympic games preferring Bopanna instead as his partner. Bhupathi had said, "Leander and I are best option for India but we need to go with some kind of preparation. We need to build a team. It's not about past performances. Rohan Bopanna and I are better prepared as a team", The AITA responded by saying that it would not change the doubles team pairing and that it was up to Paes and Bhupathi to ensure that the differences between them did not come in the way of national glory. (Reuters) However, Bhupathi and Paes decided to once again form a doubles pair, and entered the 2008 Ordina Open together to attain the second seed. They finished as Runners up in their comeback tournament. They partnered in the men's doubles event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but lost in the quarter finals [6] to Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, who went on to win the men's doubles gold medal [7]. [edit] Sports Management Mahesh Bhupathi has also been involved in developing tennis facilities in India and along with his company Globosport he has played in a key role in developing and managing the careers of many Indian athletes including the new Indian tennis star, Sania Mirza[8]. [edit] Awards [edit] References - ^ Hiraki was the first Japanese woman to win a Grand Slam tournament, while Bhupathi was the first Indian of any kind to win a Grand Slam in Mixed Doubles
- ^ http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-43051120091009
- ^ Source
- ^ Team profile
- ^ Bhupathi to undergo back surgery
- ^ 2008 Ordina Open Men's Doubles Draw
- ^ "Federer leads Swiss to doubles gold". http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/aug/16swiss.htm.
- ^ Sania Mirza signs up with Globosport - Times of India article dtd 14 May 2003 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/46367823.cms
[edit] External links | World rankings · Top ten tennis players as of 2 November 2009 | | | | | |