Interview with Mahesh Bhupathi

The tall, handsome Mahesh Bhupathi from Bangalore created history last year by winning the mixed doubles in the Wimbledon along with Leander Paes. He received the Arjuna Award in 1996. He is also the first Indian to win a Grand Slam when he took the mixed doubles French Open along with Japan's Rika Hiraki. Recently, the duo won the prestigious Japan Open and have regained their old form.

Our Sports Correspondent, J.Vinay caught up with Mahesh Bhupathi at the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) and spoke to him about the game and the ATP World Doubles Championship

Having just won the Japan Open, partnering Paes, you seem to have regained your old form back…
It's been an exciting opportunity to play in the Japan Open. We are now focussed and fine-tuning our game and trying to improve. The result should ultimately be good.

What's your present Doubles strategy?
To get our rhythm back and just play the game. And also improve our doubles ranking.

With top players like Woodies, Haarhuis, Stolle and others vying for the top honours, how do you feel playing in the ATP World Doubles to be held in our city?
If Woodies come, it would be great. We play four tournaments before the big event. It's great to play the World Championship at home. As underdogs, we need to take one match at a time.

How do you rate your chances?
You should get the system right. It's a different ball game…

The reason for your early exits in the US Open and the Olympic Games…
Yes, we had early exits. It was a change of circumstances and bad luck too. We did the best we could. And talking of Olympics, the better team won. They played well. We can still do it in Athens!

Woodies are the best players in the world. How are they, as a team?
They play the basic doubles game. Each team has its own style of play.

What do you do to keep your body in fine shape?
I do a lot of massage, exercising and jogging.

Can you tell me more about your coach?
The coach is the key person. They help us in making a good team become a great team.

Do you have any strategies when you play on different surfaces?
We don't have separate strategies. Our approach is the same on both clay and grass surfaces.

Are you trying to improve you Singles?
I may try playing Singles next year. Hope my shoulder holds up. But now, I am more focussed on Doubles. We wish to improve our current ranking.