Dominating the tennis court for more than 20 years beginning from the late 90s, ace player Mahesh Bhupathi is credited with revolutionising tennis in India with his compatriot Leander Paes, who traces his roots to Goa.
One of India’s greatest sports icons, Bhupathi was born in Tamil Nadu in 1974 and started playing tennis at seven, not knowing that the sport would change his life forever. His father was his first coach. Following successful stints at various tournaments, he turned pro in 1995.
Within two years, he managed to do the unimaginable. In 1997, he brought home India’s first ever Grand Slam in mixed doubles playing alongside Japan’s Rika Hiraki. And thus began the journey of this young Indian tennis player who set a benchmark for the sport in India and was unstoppable.
He went on to win 13 Grand Slams in doubles and mixed doubles; interestingly, eight of which were in mixed doubles alongside seven different partners. He showed his true prowess in mixed doubles, many believed.
As a matter of fact, Bhupathi is regarded as the best mixed doubles player to grace the Grand Slams, according to some of the best in the sport.
After giving the world more than 20 years of impeccable intense tennis, he announced his retirement in 2016.
But, he has not given up on tennis and is dedicated to promoting the sport through the Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy (MBTA), where young promising players get trained under the guidance of the best at facilities across nine states in India and in the UAE.
The Padma Shri awardee was recently in Goa to launch his first academy in the state at Gera Developers’ ChildCentric Homes.
This story is from the October 2019 edition of VIVA GOA.
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This story is from the October 2019 edition of VIVA GOA.
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