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SK John
New Delhi, March 23: One of the key ingredients in a professional tennis player's survival kit is rest. Mahesh Bhupathi was left with little choice but to keep playing, unable to take the end-of-the-season break. Asia Cup, Asian Games, Challengers, Davis Cup... the list of commitments went on.
So, three months into the new season and four tournaments without a doubles title, Bhupathi finally fell to the rigours of professional tennis. Bhupathi pulled his left hamstring during practice at the $4.75 million Lipton Championship, Key Biscayne, Florida late yesterday night.
The Indians conceded the second round match to Brandon Coupe and Mark Merklein (both US) after losing the first set 3-6. Paes and Bhupathi had lost to the same pair in the first round of the Qatar Open earlier this year.
Key Biscayne is also proving to be an ominous venue for the Indians -- Paes incurred a shoulder injury here last year.
The injury to Bhupathi is not minor, and doctors have advised him complete rest for two weeks toprevent aggravation. Bhupathi said he would be fine in 2-3 weeks, and is not sure if he will play the Asia-Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie against China, at Calcutta from April 2-4. There is no way Bhupathi can be blamed. Paes went out of circulation soon after the World Doubles Championships at Hartford in October last, and it was left to Bhupathi to carry the burden.
With skipping Davis Cup a foregone conclusion -- unless of course he takes a huge gamble -- Bhupathi would be looking at getting fit for the Gold Flake Open at Chennai beginning on April 5 or the Challenger at Delhi the week after.
The injury would be a wake-up call for the big man who is just a few points away from being the best doubles player in the world. The first signs of Bhupathi's body giving way came in the February Calcutta Challenger where he lost the final to Paes after carrying on with a painful serving arm. And on the long flight back from Florida today, Bhupathi would be mulling over how too much tennis has brought him moreproblems than far less tennis could have.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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