Forget the feuds and war of words. To watch Indian tennis’s two superstars of yesteryear, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, share platforms today is a joy. For a duo which gelled well on the ATP Tour and also won Grand Slam titles, there was much more than unease between the two. Harsh words were spoken, and fans were left to wonder if India could have won an Olympic medal if the country’s best-ever doubles’ tennis exponents could have patched things up.
If the past was tense, the future looks bright. No, Paes and Bhupathi are not going to partner each other on the tennis court – they are too old for that. Yet, to watch them now work with two groups which promote sports – Shrachi and SG Sports – is to see how Indian sport can gain.
The images of Leander and Mahesh seen so often these days at sports auctions cannot go unnoticed. The latest, of course, was the Hockey India League auction in New Delhi, where Leander was helping the Shrachi Group build the Bengal teams, men and women. Mahesh, as CEO of SG Sports, funded by Apollo Tubes, has been investing in chess, tennis and now, the hockey leagues. They are part of other sports leagues as well. As for Leander, he was more than excited to not only be at the auction, but the sporting action as well. His appearance at the IRL (Indian Racing League) event in Chennai, where Shrachi have a team, was met with great enthusiasm.
What is good for Indian sport is that both Paes and Bhupathi have great interest and passion for what they are doing. This generation may be unaware of Paes N Sports, which was run by Dr Vece Paes and his family. That was over two decades back, and the Challenger tennis events they held in Kolkata were conducted superbly.
At that time, Leander was an active player. Today, the same Leander is involved in a different way, which should be beneficial in the long run. A recent photo posted on X (Twitter) caught the eye, where Leander, Mahesh and PR Sreejesh posed for a snap. It was not only a brilliant visual, but a reminder of what these men have done for Indian sport.
Bhupathi is no newcomer to sports management. He was actively involved in Globosports, even when he was a player. After that, he was instrumental in bringing an overseas tennis league to India, which saw the biggest names come here – Pete Sampras included. All that is history now, as Bhupathi focusses on what can be done for Indian sport. At a time when we have sports administrators warring, including within the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), it is heartening to see the one-time doubles partners chip in.
In terms of experience and working with professionals, Leander and Mahesh have the right credentials to build teams across various leagues. Hockey, definitely, is promising, after the men’s team won two back-to-back bronze medals at the Olympics in Tokyo and Paris. The tennis league may not look that big in comparison, but at least some playing opportunity is being provided. For Indian fans to get to see Rohan Bopanna play in India is itself a joy.
On court, Paes and Bhupathi used to complement each other. The fresh beginning for the duo could well see two sharp brains become more involved in Indian sport. Who knows, one day they could even clean up the mess that is the All India Tennis Association (AITA).
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