Indian doubles ace Mahesh Bhupathi's rise on the ATP circuit has been incredible. He formed a potent partnership with Leander Paes, and ever since their alliance broke-up has maintained his high standards with Max Miryni of Belarus.
His doubles record this year stands at 42 wins against 17 losses and three tournament victories, but the lack of Grand Slam success in 2003 is surprising. Nevertheless, Bhupathi believes that in Miryni he has the perfect partner.
"We [Bhupathi and Miryni] both complement each other very well. We are both power players and when we come to the court we bring that facet of the game with us. We are both big servers, and he moves well when I am returning. So we definitely complement each other well."
A look at Bhupathi's record this year indicates that he has not played any singles matches, and one wonders if Paes's enforced absence may prompt him to play singles in the upcoming Davis Cup tie against the Netherlands.
"I have not played singles since 1999. Ever since I had my shoulder surgery I have really not given singles a thought. I have not played a singles match in the Davis Cup for a long time and I don't see that changing," he affirmed.
Gone are the days when doubles was looked upon as a good way to get some match practice.
"Doubles is becoming much faster and quicker as compared to, maybe, two years back. Technology has a key role to play. Tennis is becoming a very physical sport and that applies to the doubles as well," he says.
Sania Mirza, who graduated from Bhupathi's academy in Bangalore, always talks about the help she received from Bhupathi and Paes. Her triumph in the girls' doubles at Wimbledon convinced the doubters, but Bhupathi feels she now needs to move on to bigger things.
"Sania Mirza, to my mind, is done playing the junior events. It is time she moved up to the WTA events. She definitely has the talent and will improve as she plays more matches. She needs to work on her fitness and her movement. Once she does that, she can certainly hit through the ball as hard as anyone."
On hearing about Paes's brain lesion, Bhupathi rushed to the hospital in the United States to be by his former partner's side. The gesture was viewed many as the first step towards reconciliation.
"He was going through a very tough moment in his life. Both of us have shared a lot; we have gone through a lot of good and bad times together. I wanted to be there and make sure I knew what was happening. Luckily, it is not very serious as it seemed to be and he will be back to full fitness very soon."
Bhupathi feels there's plenty of talent in the country and it needs to be tapped properly.
"Many young kids are coming up at the tennis academies all over India and it is difficult to pin-point any single one. They all have the talent but a lot needs to be done before they start playing in the junior ranks and then move on to the professional ranks. Training, physical fitness, diet, discipline are a few things that need to be worked on and put in place. Kids with the talent are there, and once they do all the ground work, they definitely have a shot at big time."
