In 1996, Leander Paes made history by becoming the first Indian to win an individual Olympic medal since 1952 with bronze at the Atlanta Olympics. It was Indian tennis’ first Olympic medal and ended a medal drought India had endured in the past three Olympic Games.
A year later he paired up Mahesh Bhupathi. The duo would team up regularly in men’s doubles competitions around the world. Nicknamed the “Indian Express”, they proved to be one of the best doubles pairs in the years to come – winning three Grand Slam titles, 25 ATP Tour titles, rising to world No. 1, and still holding the Davis Cup record for the longest streak of doubles victories.
Since their public fallout a decade ago, there has been much speculation about the fragility of their relationship. Paes and Bhupathi have now reunited to share their story with Break Point, a docu-series helmed by filmmaker couple Nitesh Tiwari and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari.
Talking to News18.com, Paes explained the reason of coming together with Bhupathi to narrate their story. “When we were approached by Collective Artists Network, there was a lot of discussion about how this should be made. They also brought Nitesh and Ashwiny on board who are so true to their craft. They have broken through so many barriers in this docu-series and captured the essence of our relationship so well without taking any sides between Mahesh and me,” he said.
As they delved into the scrapbooks over the last 25 years, including archives from the Wimbledon, the Olympics, the Asian games, and the French open for the docu-series, Paes accepted that there were a lot of things the duo had not addressed. “When we started out, we were just young boys. We didn’t have any manuals to win Wimbledon or be the number 1 in the world. We have been the pioneers. There are mistakes that we made and we have shown things in the docu-series where I could have done something in a different way or maybe Mahesh could have voiced out his opinion. Today, we take responsibility for our actions and that’s the beautiful part of this brotherhood.”
Read: Exclusive | Mahesh Bhupathi Says Would Like to Partner With Leander Paes If Wimbledon Invites Us
The tennis star added that in any passionate relationship, there are bound to be highs and lows. “Through all our differences, recognising that we are different personalities, we have different emotions, we still have so much respect for each other. Most of the times that we stood on podiums with trophies in our hands, our relationship was at its worst. But at the same time, we could hug each other and say, “‘Jeet toh liya Wimbeldon ya Olympics toh khele ek saath (smiles)’.”
Ask him how would he define his relationship with Bhupathi and he instantly says, “Brotherhood,” adding, “We are different individuals and it is not about who is right or wrong, it is about unconditional brotherhood. The beauty about our relationship is that we didn’t want to change each other but accepted who we are.”
In a recent interview with News18.com, Bhupathi had shown his desire to team up again with Paes, something the latter also is looking forward to. “I remember we were shooting in Bengaluru and were in between takes when Nitesh picked up a racquet and he was on my side of the net and Ashwiny was on Mahesh’s side. Mahesh and I were teasing them about being India’s next Wimbeldon mixed-double pairs and that’s when they asked, ‘Are we going to see you guys together again.’ Mahesh and I looked at each other and we just nodded. I would love to play with him again at the Wimbeldon seniors or even an exhibition match. You put us on the court today again and it would feel that we never left it. I am sure we can create the same magic,” he said.
The duo’s famous chest-bump celebration is one of the things that has become iconic. Paes says that they have spoken about it in detail in the docu-series. “Mahesh and I started the chest-bump many years ago and in the docu-series, we have actually touched upon where, how, and why it actually started. Funnily enough, we have our opponents like ‘The Woodies’ (Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde) talking about it. We also have the Bryan brothers (Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan) speaking about how their chest-bump was better than us and we speaking about being the creators of it (laughs).”
Interestingly, their daughters Aiyana Paes and Saira Bhupathi, who are two years apart attend, the same school and also play tennis together. When asked if we can see the legacy being taken forward, Paes said, “Mahesh and I joked about them pairing up but there is a lot of hard work and dedication that goes in the sport. They are still young and both of us are open to allow them to follow their dreams. I remember Saira on her first day of school went up to Aiyana and told, ‘Do you know our papas are friends,’ and Aiyana replied, ‘They are not only friends but have achieved great success together and I am your friend here in school and if you need anything, just come up to me.’ So it’s great to see the new generation building this bond.”
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