The Rediff Interview / Krishna Bhupathi

'I would not call it an end
to their tennis partnership'

On Monday morning, Leander Paes's father Dr Vece Paes broke the news about his son and Mahesh Bhupathi deciding to split and play with different partners on the world doubles circuit. He said the ace pair decided to part ways because "they did not do too well' in recent tournaments, and added that it was Mahesh's decision to opt for a new partner.

M D Riti caught up with Mahesh's father Krishna in Bangalore to find out more about the split.

Whose decision was it to end the partnership this time, Mahesh's or Leander's?

I would not call it an end to their tennis partnership. They have just decided to play with different partners this week. They will take it further from there later on. I heard that they both sat and talked things over several times. But Mahesh made the final judgement call on this today.

Click for bigger picture  Pic: Alex Livesey/Allsport

Why did they break up again now?

Well, the results of their matches have been very poor. They did have some sittings to plan how to get out of this slump, and come out on top again. Things have not been working out for them as a team, you know. No victories were coming through. This must have seemed like the best way out now.

You are sure this second break up is not final or permanent? Not too many duos get together a third time, you know.

Not at all. This break-up, if you choose to call it that, is far from permanent, in my opinion. It is not even long term.

How long will it last, then?

I have no idea about that. I do not think they do, either, just now. But I am sure that both do want to get together again at the earliest suitable moment. Mahesh and Leander are definitely very good for each other, and do well as a doubles team.

What sparked this decision now?

I think Mahesh made this decision, or judgement call, after the last bad match. They have been playing consistently bad matches, as you know. They had to move forward from that. This was not a sudden decision. They had been discussing this idea and other strategies. Now, this seemed to be the right solution for the moment.

Who will Mahesh partner with now?

No particular player. They came to this decision after the last match, and just went around looking for whoever was free as a partner. I do not think either will team up with a particular partner after this.

How do you view this second round of their partnership? It was not as great as their first round as tennis doubles partners, right?

Click for bigger picture  Pic: Alex Livesey/Allsport

Oh, the second round was good on and off. They did tremendously well in some tournaments. They also had some really bad losses. Yes, it true, it has not been anywhere close to their best partnership, which existed the first time around. But one could not obviously expect the old magic to happen again. The second round was reasonably satisfying, but not great.

Do you think they will ever achieve that quality of partnership again, since you say they are sure to get together again?

Oh, yes, anything is possible in the future. Both are among the world's best tennis doubles players. There are very few, maybe half a dozen tennis players worldwide, who are in their class.

What will Mahesh do next?

Finish these matches as successfully as he can. Then, he goes on to play the Davis Cup in New Zealand. He will be in Bangalore in another five or six weeks. You can ask him about his further plans yourself after that.

More interviews