Bhupathi pairs up with Woodbridge in ‘quest for excellence’

Even before setting foot on court, the Mahesh Bhupathi-Todd Woodbridge combine have earned themselves the ‘pair to watch’ tag. It&...

Even before setting foot on court, the Mahesh Bhupathi-Todd Woodbridge combine have earned themselves the ‘pair to watch’ tag. It’s not just that the Australian is a legend in doubles play or that Bhupathi is among the greatest ever. It’s also that after a succession of partners, many visualise Woodbridge as the possible Leander Paes in Bhupathi’s career.

While Bhupathi would definitly have that factor at the back of his mind, what makes things interesting are the striking similarities between Woodbridge and Paes.

Woodbridge, apart from being the best in the business, also has

four qualities that make him like Paes. One, his physique; two, the height (5’10”); three, style of play; and four, court preference: grass.

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Indicators of a successful season ahead? Well, if we add Woodbridge’s success percentage down the years, there can be only one answer. That, the Hesh-Wood partnership will achieve even more than the Lee-Hesh pairing did. Bhupathi, while speaking to The Indian Express from New York, calls it a ‘‘challenge working with Woodbridge’’. ‘‘We both have our aims and obviously with a compatible partner, it’s all about achieving goals,’’ Bhupathi adds.

Saying that his Belarussian partner for the past few years Max Mirnyi was also ‘‘as talented’’ and avoiding the topic of a split with Mirnyi, Bhupathi says, ‘‘It is all towards a quest for excellence. Everyone dreams of finishing at the top, and obviously seek their partners accordingly.’’

For the record, Woodbridge has already made public his goal of winning a 10th Wimbledon title. And for his part, Bhupathi told us that it’s the No. 1 ATP doubles spot that he’s after.

	THESH’S PARTNERS

			In 2004, Bhupathi played with seven partners • Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) • Fabrice Santoro (France) • Leander Paes (India) • Paul Hanley (Australia) • Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) • Jan Michael Gambill (USA) • Max Mirnyi : 14 meets with a 25-14 W/L record and No 5 on the ATP list

Bhupathi carries on: ‘‘I’am ready and I’am sure he’s raring to go as well. We are no strangers to each other.’’ The two have paired together thrice in the past.

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It appears the Australian Open will be the first time the two will be out together in this, their newest coming. Woodbridge ‘‘does not want to come for the Chennai ATP’’, Bhupathi clarifies. So that’s where an Indian’s next Grand Slam journey will begin from.