Tennis: When Indians triumphed at the French Open

Clay courts have, traditionally, have not been a surface to make Indian tennis players feel at home.

But yet the only clay-court major has brought them plenty of glorious moments. The French Open is where India won its first major and the latest Grand Slam title yet.

From Mahesh Bhupathi’s breakthrough title in 1997 to Rohan Bopanna’s crowning glory in 2017, here are India’s success stories at Roland Garros.

1997: Mahesh Bhupathi, mixed doubles title with Rika Hiraki

Mahesh Bhupathi became the first Indian to win a major when he clinched the French Open mixed doubles title, in the company of Japan’s Rika Hiraki, in 1997.

It was the first time that the Indian, 23 then, was competing in mixed doubles at a major.

“We were the last team to get into the draw because Hiraki was ranked No. 30 and I was ranked No. 52,” Mahesh Bhupathi told fellow tennis player Purav Raja during a lockdown video series last year.

The hastily-formed pair took some time settling in. Though they started with a nervous three-set win in the first round, Bhupathi-Hiraki knocked out four seeded teams en route the final. In the title clash, they stormed past top seeds Lisa Raymond and Patrick Galbraith of the USA 6-4, 6-1.

1999: Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, men's doubles

1999 proved to be a landmark year in the young careers of Leander Paes and Bhupathi. The Indian duo made their mark in by reaching the men’s doubles final at all the four majors.

Paes-Bhupathi became the first Indian pair to win a major.

The ‘Indian Express’, as they were called, defeated Goran Ivanisevic and Jeff Tarango 6-2, 7-5 in the final.

“Our hard work paid off,” said Bhupathi. “It was not just two weeks but four years. Now we are greedy and want more.”

2001: Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, men's doubles

Cracks had already started appearing in the team shortly after Paes and Bhupathi ended 1999 as the No. 1 pair in the world.

Injuries led to a split in 2000 and the duo regrouped for the Sydney Olympics, where they were knocked out in the second round. Over the years, Paes and Bhupathi have shown that, whatever their personal equation at the time, they have an ability to create magic on court.

The 2001 French Open was a case in point. Unseeded at the tournament, Paes-Bhupathi made light work of third seeds Jiri Novak and David Rikl in the third round, beating them 6-3, 6-1. The Indian duo edged past Michael Hill and Tarango, seeded 11, in the semi-finals and beat Petr Pala and Pavel Vizner 7-6, 6-3 in the final to regain the title.

2009: Leander Paes, men's doubles title with Lukas Dlouhy

Having lost the 2008 US Open final by narrowly, Paes-Dlouhy were determined not to suffer that fate again. They fought back from a set down in the final against Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman, to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

The Indo-Czech pair had knocked out the top seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic in the previous round.

“My game is more suited to grass,” Paes told Indian publication DNA after winning the title.

“I have had to learn the basics of playing on clay at a much later stage in life. I have had to adapt… I had to learn movement, ball control, the slides, the very basics of clay. And here am I now with three (men’s doubles titles)!”

2012: Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi, mixed doubles title

Mirza and Bhupathi won their second Grand Slam title together at the 2012 French Open. The Indian duo defeated Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Klaudia Jans-Ignacik of Poland 7-6, 6-1 in the final.

This was 12-time major champion Bhupathi’s last Grand Slam title. And incidentally, like his first, he won his last major on his birthday.

"It's happened the second time on his birthday. Funnily enough, he said it the first time when we were playing the first round. He said, 'Oh, last time I won on my birthday in Paris. I won my first slam'," Mirza said after the match.

"So he said, 'Maybe it's destiny'. We were still in the first round. We kept winning and we didn't want to jinx it, so we didn't mention it again."

2016: Leander Paes, mixed doubles title with Martina Hingis

Paes completed a Career Slam in mixed doubles by winning the 2016 title with Martina Hingis.

The Indo-Swiss pair edged past second seeds Ivan Dodig and Sania Mirza 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 in the final that lasted an hour and 28 minutes.

"This is the one grand slam that was missing from my showcase and to complete it after so many years after the men's career Grand Slam has made it a full career,” Paes, 42 then, told India Today after the triumph.

2017: Rohan Bopanna, mixed doubles title with Gabriela Dabrowski

Rohan Bopanna finally cracked the Grand Slam code as he won the 2017 French Open mixed doubles title with Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski.

It was the first mixed doubles final for both the players. The Indian, 37 then, did not drop his serve through the match as Bopanna-Dabrowski beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany and Robert Farah of Colombia 2-6, 6-2, (12-10).

“Truly special,” Bopanna, who had reached the men’s doubles final at the US Open in 2010 with Aisam Qureshi, said after the match.

“As an athlete, when you start playing tennis, you want to win a Grand Slam.

“Over the years, I have lost in the semi-finals in the Grand Slams. [But], it’s not a question of whether I got it now or whether I got it earlier. Right now, I am probably playing my best tennis and I have matured over the years [as to] how to play the game and how to handle [different] situations better.”

Bopanna’s French Open title is India’s last major success yet.