Leander Paes Biography

Country: India
Residence: Kolkata, Mumbai
Date of birth: June 17, 1973 (1973-06-17)
Place of birth: Calcutta (Kolkata)
Height: 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1?2 in)
Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand)


Leander Adrian Paes born 17 June 1973, is an Indian professional tennis player who currently features in the doubles events in the ATP tour and the Davis Cup tournament. Having won 6 Doubles and 6 Mixed Doubles Tennis Grand Slam titles and finishing runners up in numerous other Grand Slam finals, he is considered to be one of the greatest and most respected contemporary doubles and mixed doubles players in the world. He is among the most successful professional Indian tennis players and is also the former captain of the Indian Davis Cup team. He is the recipient of India's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 1996–1997, the Arjuna Award in 1990, and the Padma Shri award in 2001 for his outstanding contribution to tennis in India.

Apart from his twelve Grand Slam victories at doubles and mixed doubles events, he is famous for his several memorable Davis Cup performances playing for India and also for winning a bronze medal for India in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He also achieved the rare Men's Doubles/Mixed Doubles double during the 1999 Wimbledon. His consecutive Olympic appearances from 1992 to 2008 make him the third Indian, after shooters Karni Singh and Randhir Singh, to compete at five Olympic Games. After winning the Mixed Doubles in Wimbledon 2010, Leander Paes became only the second man (after Rod Laver) to win Wimbledon titles in three different decades. In 2010 he joined the Board of Directors of Olympic Gold Quest, a foundation co-founded by Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone to support talented athletes from India in winning Olympic medals.

Mahesh Bhupathi Indian Tennis Player

Nickname: Hesh
Country: India
Date of birth: 7 June 1974 (1974-06-07)
Place of birth: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)


Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi born 7 June 1974 in Chennai 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). With his win of the Australian Open Mixed Doubles in 2006, he joined the elite group of eight tennis players who have achieved a Career Mixed Doubles Grand Slam.

Mahesh Bhupathi is best known as one of the top doubles players in the '90s and the '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 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 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, 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 Australian Open, Bhupathi completed a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.

In 2007, Bhupathi and Czech Radek Šte(pánek reached the 2007 Australian Open men's doubles event's quarterfinals. He teamed with Šte(pánek at the 2007 French Open to make the doubles semifinals, defeating dual-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 along 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 Zimonjic'. At the 2007 U.S. Open, he and Zimonjic' paired in doubles. After the U.S. Open, the team that beat Bhupathi and Šte(pánek in the French Open semifinals, Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor, split. Bhupathi was to become the new partner of Mark Knowles while Zimonjic' will partner Nestor, but back surgery means he is now expected to be out until the end of the year.

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 in Melbourne. The ace Indian pair thus made up for the disappointment of last year's final when they were beaten by Tiantian Sun and Nenad Zimonjic'. With this win, Bhupathi's count in mixed doubles Grand Slam titles swells to seven.

Bhupathi broke up his partnership with Knowles and began playing once again with Max Mirnyi, whom he played with to win the 2002 U.S. 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 Bob and Mike Bryan.

Sania Mirza Profile

Country: India
Residence: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Date of birth 15 November 1986 (1986-11-15)
Place of birth Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

Sania Mirza was born in Mumbai, India on the 15th November, 1986 to Mr. Imran Mirza and Naseema. Saniya Mirza’s father Imran was a sports journalist previously after that he went into the printing business and finally he became a builder and her mother Naseema was associated with the printing industry. The family later relocated themselves in the city of Hyderabad. Saniya Mirza got her schooling from Nasr School Khairatabad and passed her SSC examination with first division securing 63% marks.

Saniya Mirza has got a younger sister by the name of Anam. Saniya was drawn to the lawn tennis by her father; she started playing tennis at the tender age of six at Nizam Club Hyderabad. When Saniya was first taken to the coach he refused to coach her, later on after a week he called up the parents of Saniya and told them that he has never seen such a talent at such a tender age. Her initial training was handled by CK Bhupati father of Mahesh Bhupati, the legendary Indian tennis player.


Sania Mirza’s father was unable to take care of the expenses of the training of Saniya therefore he approached some business houses for help, GVK industries and Adidas started to sponsor her from the age of 12 years. Later on her father Imran took over as her coach. Her physiotherapist is Badrinath.


Sania Mirza learnt the professional tennis at Sinnet Tennis Academy in Secunderabad after that she moved to the Ace Tennis Academy in the United States. Currently her professional career is being managed by Global Sports, a company associated with Mahesh Bhupati and she has appointed Bob Brett who was previously the coach of Boris Becker as a specialist advisor.


Saniya Mirza started playing in international tournaments from the year 1999 when she first represented India in the World Junior Championship, Jakarta; after that Saniya went on to participate in the Asian Games in the year with Paes where she won a bronze medal. She again did India proud when she figured in the main draw for the girls doubles junior Wimbledon Tennis tournament with a 13 year old Russian player Alisa Kleybanova and won the Grand Slam title. Doing so Saniya became the first youngest Indian player to do so.


Sania Mirza has won 21 ITF titles till date. In the year 2005 Saniya Mirza created waves in the tennis world when she reached to the 3rd and 4th rounds of many Grand Slam tournaments. She has a very powerful forehand (Double handed backhand) and serves an array of strokes. She is greatly influenced by the German player Stefi Graff.