The Rediff Interview / Mahesh Bhupathi

'Playing singles gets you
sharper for doubles'

Mahesh Bhupathi spoke with Jagan Jagannathan late February, just before the Siebel Open. This was his last interview with rediff.com before parting ways with doubles partner Leander Paes.

Excerpts:

How do you prepare for a tournament?

Nothing special. We come two days in advance, and just practice with each other, play a few sets with a couple of other teams and get used to the court.

How does being seeded No.1 in a tournament influence your preparation?

We have been seeded No.1 quite a few times. That just gives incentive to you. You know everyone is trying to knock out the top seed, and that just makes us prepare that much better because we know everyone is gunning to try taking us down from the beginning itself.

When you start the tournament and go through it, what do you do to relax and recover between matches particularly when the tournament is a week long and you have a number of matches?

I personally watch a lot of television, I get on the Internet, I like to relax in my room and listen to my music, watch my Hindi movies on DVD or whatever. Very chilled out, nothing strenuous. Maybe, play a little golf once in a while.

Coming to the tennis tour for the year, what are your doubles and singles goals for the year?

Well, singles obviously has taken a very large backseat. So try to focus on doubles and, maybe, you know a definite goal is to try to get back to No. 1 possibly by the end of this year.

How much does playing competitive singles affect doubles play?

There are pluses and minuses; the plus is... it definitely gets you sharper for the doubles matches, because you are playing singles which is much tougher on the body and playing doubles after that is easier. But playing singles when you are not used to playing singles day in and day out can lead to injuries, which is one of the worries.

One of the things fans of tennis would like to know is something about being a tennis professional ....

Well, it is a lot of fun now. You make it and you are ranked number 1. You get all the perks of traveling, staying in great hotels and stuff. But, you know, 10,12,15 years of work that we did put in to get to this point was honestly no fun at all. Six, seven hours a day; waking up at five in the morning, not hanging out with friends in the evening. So all that, I guess, no one gets to see, but obviously no complaints, but lot of work has been put in to get to where we are now.

Talking about aspiring tennis professionals, both here and in India, what single advice would you give them?

No substitute for hard work. That is probably the one thing.

How much has racquet technology influenced tennis, and how much will it influence in the future?

Technology is moving so fast. Racquets are getting all kinds of materials. And the balls are getting slower. Obviously, the athlete is getting so much stronger. So, all in all, I think, tennis is becoming a very, very fast game. The tour is obviously trying to slow it down by slowing down the courts and the balls. But with the way technology is moving, I mean the racquets are getting quicker and the athletes are getting stronger, so I don't see it slowing down that much.

In terms of Indian tennis, what do you see in the short term and long term. How is Indian tennis prepared to deal with this kind of evolution in the game?

We have been struggling to have any kind of second string up till now. But over the last couple of years, you've got Harsh Mankad, Rohan Bopanna, and now Sunil Kumar, who have come on the scene in a small way. But, hopefully, they will mature into better players and eventually fly the flag for us when it comes to Davis Cup.

Both you and Leander spend time in America, and train and live in Florida..

I do, in New York.

Which is your favourite American team sport

Football.

Which is your favourite team

Used to be the Indianapolis Colts.

If you hadn't played professional tennis, what would you be doing instead?

I have no idea. Picked up the racquet when I was three. So that was never an option. So it is tough for me to answer that one.

Mahesh, it has been a delight to talk with you.

Also read: Paes and Bhupathi part ways again

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