The Hindu : Paes and Bhupathi to pair up again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 07, 2003

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Paes and Bhupathi to pair up again

By Amitabha Das Sharma

KOLKATA APRIL 6. Sunday brought good tidings to Indian tennis.

India blazed to three victories on the favoured lawns of South Club, which hosted yet another triumph to re-emphasise its status as the most auspicious venue in the country — with eight out of the 10 ties here favouring the host.

There was a bigger news for Indian tennis aficionados. A possible reunification of the most illustrious doubles partnership was hinted at by none other than Mahesh Bhupati, who said that he would be teaming again with Leander Paes in the professional circuit `sooner or later'.

Bhupati said that he had had effective talks with Paes here and though nothing was decided now, the two are working on getting back together in the near future.

With a few people including the former captain Jaidip Mukherjea trying to convince the two, the reunification theory was quite in the air before one of the players put it on record.

Despite playing with different partners, Paes and Bhupati still maintain a ranking high up in the ATP doubles list. Bhupati is ranked fourth while Paes, following a bad phase earlier, is back within the top-20.

If prudence prevails, it will not be long before the two come together in the professional circuit, keeping the 2004 Athens Olympics in mind.

Bhupati and Paes appeared quite relaxed having wrapped up the doubles title with élan. Paes, who played the most prominent part in the tie appearing successfully in three matches to take his tally of wins to 66 in Davis Cup (three short of the Indian record of 69 wins held by Ramanathan Krishnan), attributed the triumph to team-effort. "We all came together as a team and supported each other through the tie."

Speaking about his doubles performance, he said "Mahesh and I came together well and had our job done professionally." He added that though the start in the doubles was not so smooth, things fell into place as the match wore on.

Bhupati agreed with his senior partner. "We are always confident playing in Davis Cup. Though we had a bad start, we made up in the later stages of the match."

Rohan Bopanna, winning his second live rubber in his fifth Davis Cup appearance, said he was happy making a successful comeback in the reverse singles. "I kept my focus and ensured that I made little errors while serving and returning," he said adding that the win would boost his confidence.

Bopanna thanked the senior team members Paes and Bhupati for giving him "good support" all through the tie. On his future plans he said, "I will be playing Challengers to gain more experience and get ready for the World Group qualifiers in September."

The Indian captain Ramesh Krishnan praised Bopanna for his efforts that fetched India the tie. Krishnan lauded the latter's resolve and drive and said that the five-set defeat against Alistair Hunt on Saturday did a lot of good to Bopanna, who learned from his mistakes and turned the tables against James Shortall.

The captain said that India will have quite a few ties at home in the World Group qualifiers. That advantage would have to be utilised if the country wishes to regain its place in the elite stage, he added.

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