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The Leander Paes / Mahesh Bhupathi Chat

JayKay (Fri Nov 28 1997 6:56 IST)
Helloooo Lee ! Hello Hesh !!!

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 6:56 IST)
Hi guys, sorry we're late. Go ahead with your questions.

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 6:56 IST)
EVERYONE: Hey, there sorry to keep you all waiting. The traffic in BOmbay is chaotic.

LPMBFAN (Fri Nov 28 1997 6:57 IST)
mahesh how r u feeling now, after Hartford?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 6:58 IST)
LPMBFAN: Well I'm tired, ready to take a month off and relax.

JayKay (Fri Nov 28 1997 6:58 IST)
Good to see you both.. Been up from 4 am here in California.. it's 5.30 now.. Ready for Ahmedabad ??

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 6:59 IST)
JayKay: Good morning! We have been practising hard for the Ahmedabad and we hope the last tournament of the year goes well.

Pintax (Fri Nov 28 1997 6:58 IST)
HI Mahesh, congrats on your phenomenal & quick rise in the world of tennis, what do you attribute this to ?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:0 IST)
Pintax: Well its been a lot of hardwork, both Leander and me have been working hard a lot together, and to be honest I'm actually surprised all this success happened so fast.

SandraSawada (Fri Nov 28 1997 6:59 IST)
MAHESH, WHAT RACQUET DO U USE?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:0 IST)
Hi Sandra how you doing? I use the Wilson Protaff Classic 6.1

IndianGang (Fri Nov 28 1997 6:57 IST)
Yo Leander and Mahesh , U guys have done so well in doubles now , now what exactly happens in singles ?? and Leander , the Guy whom u beat for ur Junior wimbledon title Marcus Ondruska seems to have broken into the top 100 , now what exactly goes wrong ?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:1 IST)
Indiangang: Doubles is going great. And, we need to play a few more singles tournaments in 1998. So that we can move our singles ranking up.

LPMBFAN (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:0 IST)
everybody here was sad, when u guys lost

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:2 IST)
LPMBFAN: Well we played a very emotional match in the semi-final and that drained us a little bit. But to be fair those guys played a perfect match to beat us.

MERLEBILL SANFRANCISCO (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:1 IST)
LEANDER - IS THE SOURCE OF YOUR MOTIVATION REALLY THE VICTORY CLAP?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:2 IST)
M SANFRANSICO: Hey, guys. The victory clap seems to have worked all year, so do not stop now. Thanks a lot for all the support.

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:3 IST)
Hi JayKay, thanks for all the support. We were going to Dubai but the event was cancelled and I'll be in Bangalore playing a little golf.

K Mad (Fri Nov 28 1997 6:59 IST)
Leander: If doubles recieved more attention, prize money etc, would you still play singles??

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:4 IST)
K Mad: Singles is much more challenging as you are playing individually so the charm of singles is much more attractive than the prize money or fame.

LPMBFAN (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:2 IST)
but you defeated those guys easily in Singapore.

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:5 IST)
LPMBFAN: Tennis is a wierd game, just because you beat someone once doesn't mean you're going to beat them everytime, they played better than us and they deserve to win.

Chikks (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:1 IST)
Hey Leander, was that loss in Mumbai "jetlag"?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:6 IST)
Chikks: I had a tough assignment. And it was a little too hard to overcome the jetlag. The difference in environment as well as overcome my opponent on the day. My homework was poor but given the circumstances, I had no choice. :) :)

Khemchand Jagtiani (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:4 IST)
Mahesh: I believe your little (??) sister Kavita follows your games on the NeT. Are you a Net (The Internet!) fan too!

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:7 IST)
Khemchand Jagtiani: Yeah I have a laptop which I travel with and so does Leander, so whenever we have freetime, we jump on our computers and try and surf the net.

John Patrick (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:6 IST)
I believe you guys are really cool. Unlike most Indian sports stars. I had a bet with a pal that you guys would not turn up this evening. He said you would. Because you guys are DIFFERENT! You guys are role models and I love you both for that!

Pintax (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:6 IST)
YO Mahesh U do deserve a break, poor Leander has to slug it out again at A'bad, but he should really love tennis, do U LEANDER

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:7 IST)
John Patrick: Thanks, mate.

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:9 IST)
John Patrick: Thanks I appreciate it. Pintax: Hey bud I'm going to Ahmedabad too, just that it's the last tournament and I'm loking forward to the break.

IndianGang (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:3 IST)
I've always admired your killer instinct Leander, I still remember your Davis Cup match against Henri Leconte. How do u manage this? NESFIT ?? hhehehe

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:9 IST)
Indiangang: I love my profession especially when playing for the country and for u guys. It gives me a lot of strength knowing that you guys are supporting me. Thanks. :) :)

Shail (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:8 IST)
Mahesh: How does it feel to be a pinup boy in Japan????

Suwarn (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:7 IST)
Mahesh: Can you assess Leander's strengths and weaknesses.

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:10 IST)
Shail: I didn't know I was a pinup boy in Japan, if there any interesting pictures I would like to see them. Suwarn: His biggest strength is his heart. He always gives a 100% when he is on the tennis court.

sandesa (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:4 IST)
Leander : A personal ques .. Is Marriage on the cards ?

sandesa (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:7 IST)
Leander : U didn't ans me *sob* .. LMMB ... I know Leander is going steady yaar

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:11 IST)
Sandesa: Not in the near future. I am giving tennis my total attention now.

JayKay (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:10 IST)
Leander or Mahesh: Why is it that after Hartford, your team point totals went up from 2402 to only 2543 (only a +142) ?? Surprised me, because you got 350 points there and there isn't 208 points that could have fallen off .. (By any chance are the 350 pts shared or something ?).. I was expecting #4 for you.. and everybody else including ATP reported #4 after Hartford... and then the rankings came out with #5 .. how come ?

AMISH (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:13 IST)
WHEN ARE YOU LEANDER AND MAHESH NEXT PLAYING IN ENGLAND OR LONDON??

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:12 IST)
Jaykay: I'll try my best and I hope, I get a chance for revenge in Ahmedabad.

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:13 IST)
Jaykay: To be honest I'm pretty sure we finished at 4, that's what the papers said and thats what the ITW read, so I'm not sure where the information got mixed up. AMISH: We probably won't play till Queens Club next year, but I'm planning to make London my base, so I might be there a little earlier.

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:18 IST)
AMISH: We are in England in the summer of '98. In London for Wimbeldon, the end of June. Come out and watch us.

sivaram (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:7 IST)
your target for this year was to do well and get into ATP championship. Any targets for '98?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:15 IST)
Sivaram: This year has been a great one and next year we hope to win a Grand Slam title as well as break into the top 75 on the ATP rankings.

sandesa (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:13 IST)
Mahesh : I heard that you started on tennis quite late and became serious only while studying in US . Leaving college must have been a BIG decision ?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:15 IST)
Sandesa: To be honest I started playing when I was three, that's pretty early, but I always knew I wanted to make it my profession, I just thought that going to college and working on my game would be a step in the right direction

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:16 IST)
EXTENDED ANSWER TO SIVARAM: NEXT YEAR, WE HAVE THE ASIAN GAMES IN BANGKOK. AND I HOPE TO BETTER THE TWO GOLD MEDALS AND ONE BRONZE BY GETTING THREE GOLDS.

Pintax (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:11 IST)
LP & MB, read your interview in Teens Today, How come U know such little about each other ????

SANDRAS (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:14 IST)
Mahesh, are u getting married anytime soon?

Pintax (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:15 IST)
Mahesh, Who after you in the local circuit ???

Shail (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:15 IST)
Mahesh: After your Mixed doubles win with Rika Hiraki, you are the hottest selling sports poster in Japan's greeting card shops. One of our friends from Japan mailed us about this. So how does it feel.

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:18 IST)
Sandras/Shail/Pintax: No marriage plans for at least three years. Harsh Mankad is a promising junior, it's all up to him if he is willing to put in the hardwork. About the interview in Teen World, we were trying to throw you guys off:-)

AMISH (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:18 IST)
WHAT ATTRACTS YOU TO LONDON MAHESH?????

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:21 IST)
AMISH: The fact that it is centrally located, it's an easy 8 hour flight to either the US or to Asia and its easy to travel and play in Europe.

Player (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:19 IST)
Leander / Mahesh ...What are your other hobbies / pastimes? Or is it ONLY Tennis?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:22 IST)
Player: I love playing sports, especially golf, soccer and swimming. My pastime is generally spent listening to music and catching up with my family and friends. And now also surfing the net.

Kamlesh (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:19 IST)
Leander and Mahesh>> What's the trick behind the way you guys always keep winning over Lareau and O'Brien? :-) Do you have the Indian sign on them?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:23 IST)
Kamlesh: We love playing those guys as they are great competitors. We have a mental edge over them.

sandesa (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:20 IST)
Mahesh : What r ur hobbies ?

IndianGang (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:20 IST)
Mahesh : Any modelling assignments ??? :)

LPMBFAN (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:20 IST)
Mahesh: is it Mbhupathi@no1.com :)

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:24 IST)
LPMBFAN/SANDESA/Indian Gang: My e-mail is Maheshno1@aol.com We have a couple of shoots in December promoting our sponsors, I don't know if you can call that modelling. My hobbies are listening to a lot of Hindi music, movies and pop. And surfing the net.

JayKay (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:20 IST)
Leander: Great to see you thinking seriously about the Asiad.. I am rather concerned about that Thai kid, Paradorn.. The dude has been sorta tearing it up at their satellites there (he took a set off Courier at Singapore too).. any comments on others from Asia ?.. (Raturandang surprised everybod a bit, huh ?..

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:25 IST)
Jaykay: Paradorn is talented. But, I am more concerned about the Uzbeks and Koreans.

AMISH (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:22 IST)
LEANDER & MAHESH, WHATS THE BEST TOURNAMENT YOU HAVE PLAYED IN?????

Pintax (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:22 IST)
MAHESH : what are your strengths and weaknesses ???

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:26 IST)
Pintax/AMISH: Ask Leander about my strengths and weaknesses. My best tournaments: All the Grand Slams are special in their own way and definitely the Olympics and the World Championships.

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:29 IST)
Amish: I love the Canadian open as they run a fabulous event. The Australian open is my favourite grand slam. The crowds really understand the sport.

Kamlesh (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:25 IST)
Leander and Mahesh>>Do Davis Cup schedules interfere with your individual tour programmes? is there some way of bringing sense to the scheduling?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:27 IST)
Kamlesh: Davis Cup will always be our No 1 priority and as of now we have no option but to have a busy schedule because our singles rankings is not where we want it to be yet.

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:33 IST)
Kamlesh: The Davis Cup does take a lot of time away from our ATP events. But, playing for the country is very important to me. So, I have to make sure that I do recover well before getting back to the circuit.

MERLEBILL SANFRANCISCO (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:20 IST)
LEANDER ANY CHANCE OF PLAYING IN SAN JOSE OR LOS ANGELES NEXT YEAR OR ARE YOU GOING TO CONCENTRATE ON THE MAJORS AND THE SUPER9's?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:27 IST)
M SANFRANSICO: WE are gonna concentrate on singles as well as play the super 9s and Grand Slams for our doubles. If at the end of the year, we are close to getting into the world doubles, we will concentrate on doubles.

sivaram (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:27 IST)
mahesh, do you plan to continue in mixed doubles?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:28 IST)
Sivaram: Yeah but I'm not sure with who I'll be playing with next year.

Pintax (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:25 IST)
Mahesh: Why do U hate shopping ??

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:29 IST)
Pintax: Who told you I hate shopping? I don't love it anyway, I always have a list so I know where I have to go, so it always takes me less than 20 mins to shop.

Ryan Coelho (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:28 IST)
Mahesh: Have you met any of the Indian cricketers? How have they been with you?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:31 IST)
Ryan Coelho: The only cricketers I met have been Anil Kumble and Ajay Jadeja and both of them seem to be really friendly and easy to talk to.

Kamlesh (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:30 IST)
Leander and Mahesh>> Can you a brief on life on the tennis circuit? What are the fun bits? What are the negatives?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:33 IST)
Kamlesh: Tennis is a gruelling life. The positive part is that you get to travel a lot, see the world and meet a lot of poeple and make new freinds. On the negative side you don't get to spend time at home with your loved ones and you are always living out of the suitcase

K Mad (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:33 IST)
Mahesh: Don't you think Luke Jensen is kinda wierd?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:34 IST)
K Mad: Luke's a great guy. He's very loud but I think the American public love listening to his kind of commentary. Jaykay: Rico asked me to say Hi to you.

Pintax (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:28 IST)
Leander : From where do you get the extra energy on court from ??

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:34 IST)
Pintax: I play with my heart, so whether it may be diving for the ball or chasing every ball down it comes very naturally. It's all a part of giving effort.

sandesa (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:29 IST)
Mahesh : Who is ur fav tennis player ?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:35 IST)
Sandesa: Rod Laver and Jimmy Connors are my all time favourites.

LPMBFAN (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:34 IST)
leander: Mahesh's weaknesses, please.

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:37 IST)
LMPBFAN: MAHESH'S LACK OF PATIENCE. :) :)

LOVE ALL (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:32 IST)
Leander/Mahesh: What according to you is the real reason why Indians, though good and clean players, are always just second-best? What ails our people? How can we improve things for our juniors...so we can expect top ranking for them?Please answer

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:38 IST)
Love All: We're ranked No 4, and you can be sure we are not gonna stop working till we make it to number 1, and as far as the next generation I'm sorry to say that we will never have another No 1 till we get a sound system to promote the sport and support the juniors from our country's association. This system is lacking although Leander and myself have had good results in the last two years. So I guess it is up to us to take the lead when we stop playing and maybe in two generations we will have a champion.

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:39 IST)
Love All: A lack of self belief as well as a professional sporting system in our country is why I believe, we don't produced many world beaters.

Shail (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:37 IST)
Leander and Mahesh>>When You started this season, did you have the World Doubles title in mind as a goal? Did you think, before your first win, that you were about to begin a dream run?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:41 IST)
Shail: The first tournament we won this year was a Challenger in Singapore and after this I was really excited, because I had just broken in through the top 100. So if you would have come up to me and told me that we were going to make it to Hartford let alone the finals, I would have told you to stop smoking hash:-)

sivaram (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:35 IST)
leander, what improvements in your playing technique you would love to make?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:41 IST)
Sivaram: My serving technique is always a battle and I am working very hard also to improve my backhand, topspin.

LPMBFAN (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:38 IST)
Leander , answer me, please

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:42 IST)
LMBPFAN: Please give the URL of the image you send.

LPMBFAN (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:43 IST)
Mahesh, what about u'r singles play u'r aces are cool. still u'r ranking is a bit lower

sandesa (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:39 IST)
Mahesh : Guru yaarappa ninna favourite tennis player ? Artha aagutte ankondu iddini ...

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:44 IST)
Sandesa: Love the Telugu bit, my favourite tennis player is Stefan Edberg, not only because he was one of the greatest but also because he was a thorough gentleman on the tennis court

vicky (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:37 IST)
Leander>> Do you find any improvements in your game after going for the new coach..

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:44 IST)
Vicky: BOB is a great guy and he is the best coach I have ever been under. He is a tough taskmaster. But seems to understand when I have had enough or am tired. I am looking forward to travelling with him next year.

Kamlesh (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:40 IST)
Leander and Mahesh>>What does a young, 23, 24 year old guy do when his schedule goes airport-hotel-practise-match-airport? When does he get time for other interests? Romance? Somewhere along the way, do top tennis players miss out on life?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:44 IST)
Kamlesh: We know how to have our fun too, we go out to movies and its not that we are in the final every week, so on the weekends we have off we go out dancing, and have a good time.

MERLEBILL SANFRANCISCO (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:39 IST)
LEANDER, YOUR HEART SHOWS IN YOUR PLAY AND YOUR DEMEANOR. SEE YOU IN SYDNEY/MELBOURNE AND TAKE CARE. THANKS FOR A GREAT YEAR!

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:46 IST)
M Sanfransico: Take care. Hope to see you soon. Clap, Clap....

LOVE ALL (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:44 IST)
Hey why don't you guys hazard a guess How will India rate in the medals tally?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:46 IST)
Love All: I would love to say in the Top Three if you look from previous years I would be happy if we could finish with ten golds.

SANDRA SAWADA (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:43 IST)
ARE YOU BOTH STAYING AT THAT HYATT GRAND CHAMPIONS @ INDIAN WELLS IN MARCH????

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:48 IST)
Sandara Sawada: Say Hi to your parents and brother for me. What are you doing up so early? We won't be playing at Indian Wells next year. We are playing four Challengers in Asia and coming in for the Lipton.

vishnu (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:48 IST)
how come u guys pump ur self so much?????

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:49 IST)
Vishnu: We found that no matter what the score is if we pump our self up we always string a few points together and it keeps our adrelanine going. Which brings out the best in both of us.

AMISH (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:43 IST)
LEANDER...DO YOU ALSO HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS?????

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:51 IST)
Amish: I am just setting my e-mail. And, we will have in two weeks time. It will be on my home page as soon as I get it. Search my address in any of the SEARCH ENGINES. GIVING YOU SOME HOMEWORK, >;-)

AMISH (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:52 IST)
MAHESH.....DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU WILL BE STAYING IN LONDON ?????

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:52 IST)
AMISH: I don't know yet, somwhere close to Wimbledon

SHENOY (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:51 IST)
Leander: are you going to try and improve your singles ranking this year? Any specific goals like breaking into the top 50? I think you will improve a lot as a singles player, if you play the big guys more often.

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:53 IST)
Shenoy: I am going to concentrate on singles in 1998. And, hope to have a good year. Playing with the big boys will help me grow.

amit (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:53 IST)
LEANDER, WHOM DID YOU FIND AS THE TOUGHEST COMPETITOR IN THE CIRCUIT?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:54 IST)
Amit: Thomas Enqvist is one of my favourite players to play against as he has fabulous ground strokes and a big serve.

spider (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:52 IST)
r u guys married.. like is there a woman behind ur success?

Suwarn (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:53 IST)
Leander and Mahesh>>About the ATP rankings system -- You were number four. Missed a tournament to rest, and then slump to number six. How fair, or unfair, is the system anyway?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:54 IST)
Suwarn/Spider: That's the way the system works, it was our choice to take the week off and it was the penalty we had to pay. No we are not married yet and we won't be for another couple of years at least.

LPMBFAN (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:54 IST)
Mahesh: what u r doing for u'r singles?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:56 IST)
LPMBFAN: I'd love to say I'm hapy to be ranked where I am, but I haven't played as many singles tournaments as I would have liked to, so it's not fair to judge right now, maybe in a couple of years.

Kamlesh (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:56 IST)
Leander and Mahesh>What role do private tennis academies, like BAT, play in the development of talent? Is it anywhere comparable with the likes of the Bollietieri Academy?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:58 IST)
Kamlesh: It is important that we have academies in India to give our youngsters an opportunity to play the game at a subsidised rate. But now, we need to make those academies a lot more professional so that we can produce good athletes as well as teach the youngsters good technique. BAT really helped me while I was there.

Ajata (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:57 IST)
R u guys typing on ur own :))

SANDRA SAWADA (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:58 IST)
MAHESH, ARE YOU COMING BACK FOR THE INIFINITI OPEN??????

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:0 IST)
Sandra: Not sure I haven't made my schedule for that far yet. Ajata: Nope!

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:1 IST)
AJata: No, the Rediff guys are helping us out. My two finger typing just does not cut it. :) :)

LOVE ALL (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:1 IST)
Apart from your respective families and coaches, who else decides where you go or which matches you play? Do the 'red-tape people' have a say in your matter?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:2 IST)
Love All: Leander and myself decide where we want to play and then we let the family and our coaches know and then use their input if it is needed.

amit (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:0 IST)
Leander.. Among the top ranked players today.. with whom have u closely interacted and if so whom did u find as the most amiable off court?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:2 IST)
Amit: Marcelo Rios is quite a competitor, a quiet but nice guy who is misunderstood a lot.

SHENOY (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:0 IST)
Mahesh: Is it true you went to the University of Mississippi? Did you hone most of your skills there?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:4 IST)
Shenoy: Yes I did, it is true that I improved a lot because of all the practise I got there, but I owe all my skills to my dad who has been teaching me since the beginning.

sivaram (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:0 IST)
sivaram (Fri Nov 28 1997 7:44 IST) Leander, which Grand Slam tournament you would like to win, I know Wimbledon is natural for serve n volleyers but which one YOU would like to win?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:5 IST)
Sivaram: Wimbledon is one of the most special Grand Slams to me. But I am playing a lot better on hard courts. So, the Aussie Open or the US Open would be perfect.

vishnu (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:5 IST)
leander now answer me do u or domt u like boris becker?????

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:7 IST)
Vishnu: I still admire Becker as a player. But, I have lost a lot of respect for him as a human being. The less said, the better.

Suwarn (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:7 IST)
Leander>>What is the kind of coaching you are getting now? Who coaches you? Full-time, or part-time? Are you satisfied with the arrangement, or are you working towards a full-time coach accompanying you on tour?

AMISH (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:7 IST)
WOULD YOU BOTH GO INTO COACHING WHEN YOUR PLAYING CAREERS ARE FINISHED?????

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:8 IST)
AMISH: We haven't thought that far yet, still about 7-8 years before we decide to quit the tour.

SHENOY (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:7 IST)
Mahesh: I know your dad runs a tennis clinic in Bangalore. what is the fee structure over there? Also, does your father have a "scholar-ship" program for really talented youngsters who cannot afford to pay much $$$ for their training??

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:9 IST)
Shenoy: I'm not sure about the fees but I'm sure he'll do what he can to help out talented youngsters.

AMISH (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:9 IST)
DOUBLES HAS BEEN GREAT BUT HOW FAR DO YOU BOTH THINK YOU CAN REACH IN SINGLES?????

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:10 IST)
AMISH: That we won't know till we actually start playing day in and day out with the big boys.

Shail (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:6 IST)
Leander and Mahesh>>How easy, or difficult, is it for an Indian, from a land without a regular tennis system in place, to make it big on the world map? What are the problems you faced

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:10 IST)
Shail: It is quite difficult producing a champion from India as there are many obstacles to overcome. Funding, coaching facilites, fitness training, hard courts (most of the tournaments are played on this surface) as well as professional attitude are the major problems facing Indian sports persons.

JayKay (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:10 IST)
Mahesh: Any kids at your dad's academy we should look out for soon ? (I saw there were a couple at the south indian junior championship at bangalore last month)..

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:11 IST)
JayKay: There are a lot of very promising youngsters at my dad's academy but they are still young and inexperienced so we will have to wait a few years to see how they come along.

LOVE ALL (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:12 IST)
How much interference do you have to face from the authorities, or is it carte blanche for sportsmen of your calibre?

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:13 IST)
Love All: To be honest now we have climbed up to the top we can pretty much make sure that they don't walk all over us as they used to earlier, we make our demands and if they are not met we refuse to co-operate.

Ajata (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:6 IST)
Leander/mahesh : Where do u see urself 5 years from now ? :)

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:14 IST)
Ajata: Hopefully, having achieved all my goals as a tennis professional and then starting a family and giving back to Indian sport what I have got out of it. I would love to settle down in India. But I am not sure where yet.

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:14 IST)
Shenoy I have never really looked at it because when you play a match you are always concentrating on the game and not how fast you serve.

SHENOY (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:14 IST)
Mahesh and Leander: How do you guys handle the inevitable body aches/pains/sprains etc on tour??? I am not talking about major injuries, for which obviously specialist tratment is necessay.

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:16 IST)
Shenoy: The important part of performing day in and day out is taking care of your body, one way of doing this is getting a light massage everyday after your match and the other is icing all sore parts on your body.

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:19 IST)
Shenoy: Our bodies are like machines. One has to keep them well oiled and be very specific about our diets, recovery after matches, stretching as well as prevention of injuries.

Kamlesh (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:12 IST)
Leander and Mahesh>>Which contemporary player, male and female, do you admire, and why?

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:16 IST)
Kamlesh: Male: Pat Rafter. He is a fabulous athlete, he works very hard at his game and is a very down to earth person. Female: Monica Seles for achieving such greatness and then overcoming her unfortunate injury and still trying to make a comeback. HATS OFF, TO HER....

vicky (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:17 IST)
Leander, Mahesh>> Do u guys like cricket?? If so, who are your favourite cricketers? Also, tell me your opinion on cricket being given prefernce over any other game in India..

vishnu (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:18 IST)
Mahesh:why rnt u partnering rika anymore???????

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:19 IST)
Vicky/Vishnu: Cricket has always been the No 1 sport in India and both Leander and me follow it as much as we can. Rika is ranked around 30 and I'm keeping my options open so that if anyone in the top ten happens to ask me I will give it a thought.

JayKay (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:17 IST)
leander: repeat Q (dying to know).. Is the Aus O Asian wildcard all wrapped up or can Oleg cause problems next week (he is just 15 points behind you now)..

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:20 IST)
Jaykay: I must do better than him next week to make sure of the Aussie wild card.

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:21 IST)
LPMBFAN: I think the pictures really cool but then all my pictures are cool >;-)

vishnu (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:20 IST)
Leander:i heard ur planning to move to monte carlo with the rest of the tennis fraternity !!!is that true

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:22 IST)
Vishnu: No, way. My home is India and Orlando for the moment.

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:22 IST)
Vishnu: No comment. She showed a little interest one can never be too sure because mixed doubles will always be her last priority.

SHENOY (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:20 IST)
Leander: I remember Andre Agassi complained about your "grunting" at the US open. I remember in the interview you said something like "I do whatever I need to win ..if i need to grunt, i grunt, if i need to cry i cry etc.." I thought it was a FANTASTIC reply. Have there been any others who have complained about it?? Have there been any players who have played mind games with you during a match???

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:26 IST)
Shenoy: In Stuttgart, five weeks ago, Boris Becker was not impressed with my dives and efforts on the court. So, he had a few nasty remarks to say.

SHENOY (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:25 IST)
Mahesh & Leander: Do you guys do a lot of brain-storming with your coaches etc. in preparation for important matches?? Do you watch video tapes of your opponents etc. to detect any flaws, weak-points?? Is there a lot os "strategy" involved?? Or do you just go out there and go with your intuition??

Leander Paes (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:29 IST)
Shenoy: WE do our homework throughly, the night before. It makes a big difference when we have a strategy planned.

Mahesh Bhupati (Fri Nov 28 1997 8:26 IST)
GUYS ENOUGH OF THE TENNIS QUESTIONS, HOW ABOUT SOME LIGHT FUN QUESTIONS!