Mahesh Bhupathi

Bhupathi at the 2009 US open
Country	India
Residence	Bangalore
Born	(1974-06-07) 7 June 1974 (age 38) Madras
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	89 kg (200 lb; 14.0 st)
Turned pro	1995
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money	$5,955,647 (singles and doubles combined)
Singles
Career record	10–28
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	217 (2 February 1998)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	–
French Open	–
Wimbledon	1R (1997, 1998, 2000)
US Open	1R (1995)
Doubles
Career record	639–319
Career titles	50
Highest ranking	1 (26 April 1999)
Current ranking	6 (5 September 2011)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	F (1999, 2009, 2011)
French Open	W (1999, 2001)
Wimbledon	W (1999)
US Open	W (2002)
Mixed Doubles
Career titles	7
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open	W (2006, 2009)
French Open	W (1997)
Wimbledon	W (2002, 2005)
US Open	W (1999, 2005)
Medal record Tennis Competitor for  India Commonwealth Games Bronze 2010 Delhi Men's Doubles Asian Games Gold 2002 Busan Men's Doubles Gold 2006 Doha Men's Doubles Silver 2002 Busan Mixed Doubles Bronze 1998 Bangkok Singles Bronze 1998 Bangkok Mixed Doubles Afro-Asian Games Gold 2003 Hyderabad Men's Doubles Gold 2003 Hyderabad Mixed Doubles
Last updated on: 11 April 2011.

Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi is an Indian professional tennis player widely regarded as among the best doubles players in the world with 11 Grand Slam titles to his credit. In 1997, he became the first Indian to win a Grand Slam tournament (with Rika Hiraki).^[1] With his win at the Australian Open mixed doubles in 2006, he joined the elite group of eight tennis players who have achieved a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.

Mahesh Bhupathi is best known as one of the top doubles players in the '90s and '00s. In 1999, Bhupathi won three doubles titles with Leander Paes, including Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He and Leander became the first doubles team to reach the finals of all four Grand Slams, the first time such a feat has been achieved in the open era and the first time since 1952. On 26 April of that year, they became the world no. 1 doubles team. Bhupathi also won the US Open mixed doubles with Ai Sugiyama of Japan.

In 2006, Bhupathi teamed with Martina Hingis in the Australian Open mixed doubles competition. Entering the tournament unseeded and as wildcards,^[2] the first-time pair defeated four seeded opponents along the way, while only dropping a single set throughout. Bhupathi and Hingis defeated the sixth-seeded team of Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva in straight sets, 6–3, 6–3, to capture the championship. It was the sixth mixed doubles Grand Slam for Bhupathi, and a first for Hingis. By winning the Australian Open, Bhupathi completed a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.

In 2007, Bhupathi and Czech Radek Štěpánek reached the 2007 Australian Open men's doubles event's quarterfinals. He teamed with Štěpánek at the 2007 French Open to make the doubles semifinals, defeating two-year defending champions Jonas Björkman and Max Mirnyi in the quarterfinals. The team lost to the eventual champions Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor. After Wimbledon, Bhupathi teamed with Pavel Vízner to win the 2007 Canada Masters, defeating the top-ranked doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan en route. After this victory, he won a tournament in New Haven with Nenad Zimonjić. At the 2007 US Open, he and Zimonjić paired in doubles. After the US Open, the team that beat Bhupathi and Štěpánek in the French Open semifinals, Knowles and Nestor, split up. Bhupathi became Knowles' partner,^[3] while Zimonjić became Nestor's, but back surgery mean he was out until the end of the year.^[4]

In 2009, Bhupathi and doubles partner Sania Mirza won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open, beating Nathalie Dechy (France) and Andy Ram (Israel), 6–3, 6–1, in the final. The ace Indian pair thus made up for the disappointment of the previous year's final when they were beaten by Tiantian Sun and Nenad Zimonjić. With this win, Bhupathi's count in mixed doubles Grand Slam titles increased to seven.

Bhupathi broke up his partnership with Knowles and began playing once again with Max Mirnyi, with whom he played to win the 2002 US Open. In 2011, Bhupathi reunited with former playing partner Leander Paes for the 2011 Australian Open. The team of Bhupathi and Paes reached the final, but lost, 3–6, 4–6, to the Bryan brothers.

[edit] Year-end finals^[5]

Bhupathi appeared with Paes in six season finales.

In 2011, they appeared, for the first time since 2002, after securing qualification in mid-October.

Bhupathi played at the year-end championships with Paes from 1997–2000 and in 2002, reaching three finals. In 1997, they lost the final to Rick Leach and Jonathan Stark. They lost the 1999 final to Sébastien Lareau and Alex O’Brien. In 2000, they lost the final to Donald Johnson and Pieter Norval.

Bhupathi also qualified with Max Mirnyi in 2003, 2004, and 2010, when they finished runners-up to Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic.

He also appeared at the season closer with Mark Knowles in 2008 and 2009. He has partnered with Rohan Bopanna for the 2012 season.

Grand Slam titles[link]

Doubles[link]

Wins (4)

Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents in final	Score in final
1999	French Open	Clay	Leander Paes	Goran Ivanišević Jeff Tarango	6–2, 7–5
1999	Wimbledon	Grass	Leander Paes	Paul Haarhuis Jared Palmer	6–7, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6
2001	French Open (2)	Clay	Leander Paes	Petr Pála Pavel Vízner	7–6, 6–3
2002	US Open	Hard	Max Mirnyi	Jiří Novák Radek Štěpánek	6–3, 3–6, 6–4

Runner-ups (6)

Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents in final	Score in final
1999	Australian Open	Hard	Leander Paes	Jonas Björkman Patrick Rafter	3–6, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6(12–10), 4–6
1999	US Open	Hard	Leander Paes	Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien	6–7, 4–6
2003	Wimbledon	Grass	Max Mirnyi	Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge	6–3, 3–6, 6–7(4–7), 3–6
2009	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Mark Knowles	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	6–2, 5–7, 0–6
2009	US Open (2)	Hard	Mark Knowles	Lukáš Dlouhý Leander Paes	6–3, 3–6, 2–6
2011	Australian Open (3)	Hard	Leander Paes	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	3–6, 4–6

Mixed doubles: 11 (7–4)[link]

By winning the 2006 Australian Open title, Bhupathi completed the mixed doubles Career Grand Slam. He became the eighth male player in history to achieve this.

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents in the final	Score in the final
Winner	1997	French Open	Clay	Rika Hiraki	Patrick Galbraith Lisa Raymond	6–4, 6–1
Runner-up	1998	Wimbledon	Grass	Mirjana Lučić	Serena Williams Max Mirnyi	4–6, 4–6
Winner	1999	US Open	Hard	Ai Sugiyama	Donald Johnson Kimberly Po	6–4, 6–4
Winner	2002	Wimbledon	Grass	Elena Likhovtseva	Daniela Hantuchová Kevin Ullyett	6–2, 7–5
Runner-up	2003	French Open	Clay	Elena Likhovtseva	Lisa Raymond Mike Bryan	3–6, 4–6
Winner	2005	Wimbledon (2)	Grass	Mary Pierce	Paul Hanley Tatiana Perebiynis	6–4, 6–2
Winner	2005	US Open (2)	Hard	Daniela Hantuchová	Katarina Srebotnik Nenad Zimonjić	6–4, 6–2
Winner	2006	Australian Open	Hard	Martina Hingis	Elena Likhovtseva Daniel Nestor	6–3, 6–3
Runner-up	2008	Australian Open	Hard	Sania Mirza	Sun Tiantian Nenad Zimonjić	6–7(4–7), 4–6
Winner	2009	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Sania Mirza	Nathalie Dechy Andy Ram	6–3, 6–1
Runner-up	2011	Wimbledon	Grass	Elena Vesnina	Iveta Benešová Jürgen Melzer	3–6, 2–6