Paes and Bhupathi reunite to mark 22nd anniversary of Wimbledon victory

The duo were the first Indians to clinch the title in 1999.

The celebrated Indian tennis pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi set Twitter buzzing after hinting towards a possible return on Sunday. Paes and Bhupathi had created history on this day in 1999, when they captured the Wimbledon title at the All England Club. In doing so, they became the first-ever Indians to win the prestigious Grand Slam.

The duo had reached all four Grand Slam finals in the men's doubles category that year. It was the first time such a feat had been achieved in the Open Era and the first since 1952. They went on to win Wimbledon as well as the French Open crown.

What exactly happened on Twitter?

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are celebrating the 22nd anniversary of their landmark victory as they reunited on Twitter. Paes tweeted, "22 years ago today, we became the first Indians to win Wimbledon. As two young boys, all we dreamt of was making our country proud! @Maheshbhupathi #LeeHesh."

https://twitter.com/Leander/status/1411565630793281537

Bhupathi replied to the tweet saying, "Hmmm ..That was special!! Do you think it’s time to write another chapter? @Leander#LeeHesh." Paes quipped, "I’m always game. what's the plan?" Bhupathi's response was swift, "Let me get back to you!! In the meantime Happy 22nd anniversary. #LeeHesh #Wimbledonchampions"

https://twitter.com/Maheshbhupathi/status/1411568767654449156

Paes replied, "How’s your backhand feeling @Maheshbhupathi ?" Bhupathi ended the conversation with, "Made a few in practice yesterday !! Too bad there are no wild cards at the Olympics this year."

Therefore, this set of tweets sent the Twitter world into a frenzy. Are we going to see a remarkable comeback from the legendary duo? Only time will tell if the return of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi is on the cards.

Road to glory

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi went into Wimbledon in 1999 in confident mood. They had just clinched the French Open title prior to that, having beaten Goran Ivanisevic and Jeff Tarango in straight-set in the final. Therefore, they entered the grass court Grand Slam as the first seeds.

In their opening match, Paes and Bhupathi beat the German-Dutch duo of Tom Kempers and Michael Kohlmann 6-4, 6-2, 7-6. They cleared the second round hurdle without much fuss, beating Canada's Bobby Kokavec and Gabriel Trifu of Romania in straight-set. The Indian pair faced a stiffer challenge in the third round from the American pair Patrick Galbraith and Justin Gimelstob. Once again, they found a way past their opponents, despite losing the second set. The final score read 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in favour of the Indians.

Tougher tests lay ahead for them. Paes and Bhupathi showed immense resolve to come from two sets down to win the quarterfinal. American-Canadian duo of Alex O'Brien and Sebastian Lareau was seen off after a 3-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory. The semi-final tie against Frenchmen Olivier Delaitre and Fabrice Santoro wasn't easy by any means. After losing the first set, Paes and Bhupathi steadied the ship to ultimately come out on top after a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 7-5 win.

The final would see a similar kind of drama. After an epic tiebreaker loss in the first set, Paes and Bhupathi came roaring back to oust Dutchman Paul Haarhuis and American Jared Palmer. The Indian pair won the coveted title after a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 victory in the decider. Ultimately, Paes and Bhupathi managed to create history by becoming the first Indians to win the Wimbledon title.

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