Strange to see Paes, Bhupathi competing against each other
Times of India - December 26, 2002

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have led Indian tennis over the last decade and won some magnificent victories for India and themselves. They are a year apart in age and have complemented each other brilliantly So it is fitting that as they enter the twilight of their careers, we take a look at why they were so good in doubles, why they did not fulfil their potential in singles and also their eventual split from each other on the ATP tour.

The easiest comment to make is they played differently - Bhupathi solid in the left court and Paes flashy and athletic. Paes' wonderful reflexes made up for his unforced errors and Bhupathi's solid returns made up for his lack of speed on court. What Paes did not have, Bhupathi had and vice versa. But despite the fact that even their personalities on court were totally different, they combined well, closing the gaps that most doubles teams leave open and playing as a team and not as individuals playing a team event.

Their prowess took them to the No. 1 ranking in the world and by then, with no real weakness in their games, they started to have little differences. That was all was needed for other teams to smell blood. Then some losses prompted them to take a break from each other. We, Indians and tennis lovers, were devastated. Several well wishers successfully put them back together and though not quite their old invincible selves, Bhupathi and Paes were once again winning for India.

It is never easy to say what caused the rift in the first place, but the eventual split happened again and this time they went their separate ways and interestingly Bhupathi teamed up with Max Miryni to win the US Open this year. As they approach the 2003 Tata Open with different partners, it will certainly be strange to see them competing against each other in an event which was their own.