Mahesh Bhupathi was one of the best Indian tennis players of the decade. Aabhas Sharma finds out what made him such a success, on and off the court.
A thin line separates the great from the greatest. So while everyone goes on about Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, who wins Grand Slams almost every year, tends to get overlooked. Bhupathi, of course, is not bothered about whether people consider him as the greatest, or simply great. “It’s no big deal actually. When I hang up my boots and look back on my career, it should be with no regrets.” And Bhupathi — now 35, and as fit as ever — is in no mood to call it quits.
Thanks to his father, a tennis coach, Bhupathi always knew that he wanted to be a tennis player. Growing up in places like Dubai, Muscat and the US, he steadily worked towards his goal. Then, in 1995, he turned professional.
Paes was the only other established Indian player then, and Bhupathi forged a partnership with him to form what many regard as one of the greatest doubles pair of all time. Much has been written about their split, but Bhupathi looks back at the past with immense pride. “We were excellent together and put India back on the tennis map,” he says.
Not many people know — or even remember — that Bhupathi is the first Indian to win a Grand Slam, even before he became a part of the “Indian Express”.
In 1997, he won the French Open mixed doubles title, one of his most treasured wins till now. Few also know that Bhupathi is one of only eight players in tennis history to have won a Career Grand Slam (that is, all the four big ones — Wimbledon, plus the Australian, French and US Opens) in the mixed doubles’ category. He also has four doubles and seven mixed doubles titles to his credit. Not to forget an exemplary doubles record in Davis Cup (he’s won 32 of 46 matches he’s played) as well.
“When I first won a Slam, I thought I would love to win five; when I won five, I thought it would be nice to win 10,” Bhupathi recalls. Now that he has 11 in his kitty, Bhupathi says he is happy to take each tournament as it comes.
Unlike other successful doubles players who’ve had long-standing partnerships, Bhupathi has changed partners often, playing with a galaxy of illustrious players such as Max Mirnyi, Mark Knowles, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. Yet, he has always managed to build a good on-court chemistry with his partners. How difficult was it?
“It’s all about understanding on the court, and with some people you get that instantly. Mary Pierce was someone with whom I shared a great rapport on court, and it showed,” he says. Team spirit, according to Bhupathi, plays the biggest role in forming a successful doubles partnership. “It’s been a joy to play with these players and all of them have played a crucial role in my life,” he muses.
Early in his career, Bhupathi played singles as well. But with the stress affecting both his singles and his doubles career, he decided to concentrate on the latter. In the end, it turned out to be a wise choice.
Bhupathi has had his fair share of controversies. Barring the spat with Paes, there was also the shindy over his declining to play in the Davis Cup under Paes. That issue was soon resolved with the intervention of the AITA; now, Bhupathi says that representing his country was always a huge honour and not winning an Olympic medal rankles the most. “That’s probably one of my biggest regrets,” he says.
Bhupathi is one of very few sportsmen who are also successful entrepreneurs. His talent management company, Globosport, is one of the biggest in the country. He runs a number of tennis academies under his name and is an active supporter of the Mittal Champions’ Trust as well.
Bhupathi says he is quite happy with the way interest in tennis has grown in the country and is optimistic about its future. At his tennis academies, he sees daily how excited kids hold up a tennis racquet and, for him, that’s reason enough to support them.
“We have the talent but it needs to be fine-tuned.” Not just tennis, Bhupathi would like interest in other sports to take off as well. “We are a huge country and should be producing champions regularly,” he adds.
There are no short cuts to success, as Bhupathi knows only too well. “Talent can take you upto a certain point, but you have to work harder than the others to stay ahead of the curve,” he points out.
Among the new crop of players, he has been impressed with Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna. “They are the immediate future,” he says, adding that it’s good to have a Sania Mirza as well, but we need to produce champions more regularly. Indian tennis should capitalise on the legacy built by him and Paes, he feels.
Most of Bhupathi’s time is spent on the road travelling to tournaments all over the world. When off the court, he spends time with friends, or watches movies to unwind. “It’s difficult to find spare time,” he says.
How long does he see himself playing? As long as the body allows and “as long as I am enjoying the sport” — the answer is pat. “The day I feel I have lost the joy of stepping out on court and competing, will be my curtain call,” Bhupathi says. So far, looking at how he has been playing, it’s clear that that won’t happen anytime soon. And that bodes well for Indian tennis.
