When Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi became the first Indian couple to win a Grand Slam at the 1999 French Open, it was a historic achievement celebrated across the country.
The last decade of the last millennium has not seen much success for India as a sports and tennis nation, the lack of success after the Krishnan and Amritrajs was clearly evident.
Paes and Bhupathi had already established themselves as best players in the 90s: Paes with an Olympic medal in 1996 and Bhupathi with the first Grand Slam won by an Indian at the 1997 French Open.
But an all-Indian couple who won a Major together and started a season so dominant is unprecedented. They became the first pair to reach the finals of all the Grand Slams in a year in the Open era, winning the French Open and Wimbledon as best seeds. However, as incredible as the venture was, it seemed in some ways almost inevitable due to the consistency of the “Indian Express”, as they had been dubbed, over the past two years.
It was a gradual progression. They won six ATP tour titles in 1997, reached three Grand Slam semifinals in 1998 and won two Grand Slam titles in 1999, at which point Paes and Bhupathi became the poster boys of Indian sport, conquering the public and the money.
Considered one of the most attuned pairs of men in tennis, Paes’ magic on the net was well complimented by Bhupathi’s excellent baseline game. And who could forget their famous well-orchestrated chest bumps after winning a hard spot or set. Their friendship and camaraderie on the pitch increased their success and the three years since 1997 at the Chennai Open, where they won their first title together, were an unforgettable moment for Indian tennis, rarely seen since then.
Grand Slam success
In 1997, the duo reached their first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open as tenth seed, losing to eventual champions Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Daniel Vacek. From then on, they reached the semifinals in three of the four Grand Slams in 1998, each time falling to the semifinal.
In 1999, they crossed that particular obstacle, reaching their first final together with the Australian Open as best seeds. But they failed to get past Patrick Rafter and Jonas Bjorkman, losing 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–7 (10–12), 6–4 is a tough five-seater.
But that disappointment didn’t last long as the best seeds reached the final again at the next Grand Slam, the French Open. And this time the finish line was crossed in style, the invisible team of Goran Ivanisevi and Jeff Tarango, 6–2, 7–5.
At Wimbledon, they made consecutive majors by beating Paul Haarhuis and Jared Palmer in a much closer game, winning 6-7 (10), 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4). They also made it to the US Open final, but dropped to Alex O’Brien and Sebastien Lareau 7–6 (9–7), 6–4.
Nonetheless, the record books were buzzing. Lee-Hesh was the first pair to reach four consecutive Grand Slam finals in a year since 1952 and was pair no. 1 in the world.
Today it is almost unimaginable for a double couple from India who climbs the peaks that Paes and Bhupathi made over two decades ago. This alone, some would say, is sufficient to firmly establish their heritage for generations to come.
In a 1999 cover story for India todayobserved the sport written by Rohit Brijnath who described their venture as:
They have 16 titles; they are the first pair to reach four consecutive Grand Slam finals in a year since 1952 and have the titles of the French Open and Wimbledon embedded in the boss pockets; they one day told McEnroe that “you won today or it’s a stupid question” and Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated labeled them “tennis’s best kept secret”; and despite having lost the final of the US Open, they remain in first place in the world.
It is a confirmation of the immortal belief of two families. It is a triumph of the perseverance of two men. Lee, 26, Davis Cup hero, Olympic medalist, captivating, sweet to talk, passionate, and Hesh, 25, once less known, caring, determined, whose calm calm cannot hide his evil eyes: the boys are become winners – Lee since 1991 earning over $ 2 million (Rs 8.6 crore) in cash prizes, Hesh around $ 1.5 million (Rs 6.5 crore) – all because they never forgot to play with each other .
At the end of the decade and millennium, they were the most classified male double couples. However, they were unable to replicate the highs of the season in the 2000s.
Bhupathi missed the Australian Open, where Paes played against Lareau and lost in the first round. In defense of the Roland Garros champions, they competed with several partners. Bhupathi played with David Prinosil and lost with Juan Ignacio Carrasco and Jairo Velasco in the second round, while Paes and Jan Siemerink lost with Guy Forget and Guillaume Raoux in the first round.
In Wimbledon, Paes did not compete while Bhupathi collaborated with Prinosil and lost in the third round against Roger Federer and Andrew Kratzmann. They played together at the US Open but lost in the first round.
Their next Grand Slam final together was the 2001 French Open, where they won their third and final major by defeating Petr Pala and Pavel Vizner 7–6 (5), 6–3. But they were eliminated in the first round of the other three slams and in the end they separated mainly due to problems off the pitch.
Exactly a decade later, they would gather for another memorable season that saw them begin by winning the Chennai Open at home and winning the Cincinnati Masters. They even reach the final of the Australian Open 2011, but the legendary pair of Mike and Bob Bryan beat them 6-3, 6-4.
Off the pitch, their differences have become bitter and the prosecution has sparked questions about commitment and favoritism. But even with personal animosity and public feuds, the two often came together to play for India. They have an excellent record of 25-2 in Davis Cup games and the distinction of the longest and unbeaten 24th winning streak – from 1997 to 2010. They also won the gold medal at the Asian Games of 2002 and 2006 and bronze at the Commonwealth Games 2010 together.
They have twice come close to winning an Olympic medal. In Athens 2004, they lost in the playoffs bronze medal 6-7, 6-4, 14-16 against Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic after a tough fight while they lost in the quarterfinals against eventual champions Federer and Wawrinka in Beijing 2008. Of 2012 London, however, the cracks were too serious and both played with different partners.
Lately, their tense relationship seems to have eased somewhat even with the feelings of mutual respect often seen in interviews. Bhupathi was the captain of the Davis Cup when Paes broke records and is still going strong in the Tour and while 2020 was supposed to be his last season, but the coronavirus pandemic put an end to that.
“We somehow conquered the game of a white man, which has never been done before. It led to great success … 1999 was the peak. We were the Titans of the world of doubles, it was a lot of fun. We’ve been playing together, inside and out, for about 15-16 years, “said Bhupathi in a recent Instagram chat.
Paes also remembered how big their business was.
“I had the vision that two Indian boys could conquer the world in tennis and win Wimbledon. Until then, no Indian had won a senior Wimbledon title. When we reached all four Grand Slam finals in 1999 we won the French, we won Wimbledon. Mahesh and I have continued to do great things, “he said in an interview The Times of India.
Despite their differences off the court, Indian tennis legends Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi experienced delicious moments when they played doubles together.
In the video below, they talk about their partnership:
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