Kochi: Retired tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi is the first Indian to win a Grand Slam. He joined Japan’s Rika Hiraki to win the French Open Mixed Doubles title in 1997, opening world badminton’s windows to India. Leander Paes, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna went on to add to the Indian tally, sometimes pairing with Bhupati.
Paes at the net, Bhupati anchoring on the base line – this was the image of Indian tennis’s golden years. Even after retirement, Bhupati breathes tennis. This half-Malayali is also the non-playing captain of India’s Davis Cup team. In Kochi to present Malayala Manorama Sport Star Awards, Bhupati talked about the changes in world tennis.
Tennis in India remains a rich man’s game.
That’s because most tennis courts are inside private clubs. Not many can afford to be a member in them. In London, children can play at public courts by paying a pound. A court costs about Rs 10 lakh, a small amount compared to what’s spent on synthetic tracks.
Why do you constantly ask Indians to concentrate on singles and not doubles?
India has almost 40 Grand Slams in doubles. But how many Indians are there in the best 100 players? There is no one before or after Sania Mirza in women’s tennis. China has Li Na. Japan has Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori. The government in China invests heavily in tennis. About a thousand tennis events happen in Shanghai every year. Here, maybe 50 lakh people watched the Wimbledon on TV this time. Tennis is growing at a slower pace compared to other games in our country.
Davis Cup no longer sees energetic combinations like of Bhupathi and Paes, Ramesh Krishnan or Vijay Amritraj. Are we losing interest in Davis Cup?
195 countries play Davis Cup. The stadium was packed when we played against Italy recently. Newspapers gave more coverage to that than cricket. Our next match is against Pakistan in Pakistan. We will play if the central government allows.
Men’s tennis at the international level is still revolving around Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Who are the next big names?
These greats will not remain active for more than two years. A young brigade is rising from Russia. Don’t be surprised if either Daniil Medvedev or Karen Khachanov becomes top seed. Germany’s Alexander Zverev, Austria’s Dominic Thiem and young Felix Aliassime from Canada should go on to great heights in the years to come. Fifteen out of the top 20 today are aged below 24. They will make a mark in the future.
Bhupati’s mother Meera George’s father Puthanparambil Chacko George hails from Kumbanadu, Thiruvalla. The next generation in Bhupati’s family too has taken up tennis. Bhupati and former Miss Universe Lara Dutta’s daughter Saira is seven years old now. She too has started training under Bhupathi in Mumbai. She has a passion for the game, Bhupati noted gleefully.
