Farewel -- World's best tennis doubles pair Bhupathi and Leander part ways
G Raghunath/Agencies

Bangalore, May 10: Tennis aces Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes sat down together two weeks ago to take stock of their professional relationship. And decided that this was the end.

``Both have decided to play ATP tournaments and Grand Slams separately. But they would come together for the Olympic Games in Sydney, the Asian Games, the Davis Cup and other representative tournaments,'' disclosed Mahesh's father Krishna Bhupathi.

Bhupathi senior stated, ``We (Krishna Bhupathi and Leander's father Dr Vece Paes) have no say in the matter. The decision to play separately is theirs (Mahesh and Paes). We should respect that decision.''

Enrico Piperno is touted as one of the main reasons for the combination's split. Paes, it is learnt, is averse to Piperno being Mahesh's coach. But Krishna Bhupathi sought to clarify that Piperno is not Mahesh's coach but his manager.

``He is a close associate of Mahesh. And there is no harm in Piperno accompanying Mahesh to tournaments.''

Despite Krishna Bhupathi's reiteration that there is no problem between Paes and Mahesh, the fact that they won't be defending the French Open and Wimbledon titles is a big blow to tennis aficionados.

``I think they are comfortable being this way, playing with different partners. It is good for them. They might even find it more interesting playing with different partners,'' he remarked.

Mahesh Bhupathi, after a six-month layoff following a shoulder injury, has chosen Wayne Arthurs as his doubles partner while Paes, with Dutchman Jan Siemerink, won a title at Orlando last week.

``It's purely by choice that they aren't playing in tandem now. We always knew of Mahesh's potential. We were sure he would be a top doubles player irrespective of who he teamed up with. Mahesh can still prove his mettle in the doubles without Paes,'' added Krishna Bhupathi.

Dr Vece Paes was quoted as saying in Dubai's òf40óGulf News that Paes and Mahesh were not playing together on the ATP tour. ``However, they are open to partnering each other in the Davis Cup and Olympics.''

Dr Paes outlined the reasons for the split, saying, ``As long as Mahesh retains Piperno as coach, Leander is not open to a professional partnership. Thus, playing together for this year at least is out.''

Dr Paes claimed that Mahesh had initially agreed to drop Piperno as his coach and opt for Bob Carmichael, who is currently coaching Leander. ``Mahesh had made up his mind twice but reneged on the agreement claiming that he needs Piperno to accompany him on the tour after recovering from a shoulder injury. After having waited for six months, Leander decided to go ahead,'' he said.

Krishna Bhupathi, however, brushed aside reports about Mahesh reneging on Paes and the latter losing a lot of money on account of it, as blatantly false.

The newspaper said it is largely believed that Mahesh is his own man while taking decisions and does not consult his back-up team. Krishna Bhupathi said: ``Mahesh's vote carries more weight. How can I say that he should not travel with Piperno³?''

``To Mahesh, Piperno is like a court jester. He makes him laugh and keeps him relaxed. Mahesh has gone through six months of trauma with his injuries and not earned a single dollar. He finds Piperno to be good for him. How can I say no to that³?''

Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.