Indian Wimbledon winners: Three stars who won tennis' holy grail - full list
Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza are the only Indian tennis players to have won a title at Wimbledon.
Tennis
Wimbledon is, for many, the grandest of the Grand Slams. The only major to be played on tennis’ traditional grasscourt, the tournament holds a special place for tennis fans across the world.
In all, three Indian tennis players won a Wimbledon title on eight occasions. Leander Paes has won the most with five — one men’s doubles and four mixed doubles. Mahesh Bhupathi won three Wimbledon championships — one in men’s doubles and twice in mixed doubles. Sania Mirza is the only Indian woman tennis player to have won at Wimbledon — with one women’s doubles title.
Wimbledon 1999: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi win men's doubles
For Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, 1999 was a breakthrough year as the pair reached the men’s doubles final in all four Grand Slam tournaments. They won the French Open, making the first Indian team to win a major, and the Wimbledon titles.
Paes-Bhupathi were the top seeds going at Wimbledon 1999. They survived tough five-setters in the quarter-finals -- beat ninth seeds Sebastien Lareau (Canada) and Alex O’Brien (USA) 3-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 -- and the semi-finals -- beat fifth seeds French duo Fabrice Santoro and Olivier Delaitre 2-6, 6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 7-5 -- to make the summit clash.
In the 1999 Wimbledon men's doubles final, Paes and Bhupathi overcame Jared Palmer of the USA and Dutch defending champion Paul Haarhuis 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 to clinch the title. Fittingly, the match ended with their signature move -- a big serve by Bhupathi and a flourishing finish by Paes at the net.
“Professionally, winning the Wimbledon final was the most memorable match in my life as far as doubles is concerned,’’ Bhupathi told Sportstar in 2017.
Wimbledon 1999: Leander Paes wins mixed doubles with Lisa Raymond
Leander Paes, a former Wimbledon boys’ champion, also won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon 1999 with Lisa Raymond of the USA.
The Indo-American pair, seeded first, edged past third seeds Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden and Anna Kournikova of Russia 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the final.
Wimbledon 2002: Mahesh Bhupathi wins mixed doubles with Elena Likhovtseva
India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Russia’s Elena Likhovtseva, playing for the 2002 Wimbledon mixed doubles title, were forced to play two matches on the final day due to the rain-affected schedule.
Bhupathi and Likhovtseva came through a tough semi-final against second seeds and American duo of Donald Johnson and Kimberly Po-Messerli 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
The Indo-Russian pair defeated Zimbabwe's Kevin Ullyett and Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 in the final to lift the mixed doubles trophy and close out the 2002 edition of the Championships.
Wimbledon 2003: Leander Paes wins mixed doubles with Martina Navratilova
Leander Paes and tennis legend Martina Navratilova of the USA defeated Israel's Andy Ram and Anastassia Rodionova of Russia 6-3, 6-3 in the final to clinch the 2003 Wimbledon mixed doubles title.
The win saw Navratilova break her own record as the oldest Grand Slam champion at the age of 46 years and 261 days. She broke her own record in 2006 when she won the US Open mixed doubles title with Bob Bryan.
It was also the American’s 20th title at Wimbledon, which brought her level with Billie Jean King for the most number of titles at the Championships.
"Watching Martina play inspired me as a kid growing up in India and now playing with her here on Centre Court is a dream come true," said Paes. "Thank you Martina for being my vehicle to greatness."
Wimbledon 2005: Mahesh Bhupathi wins mixed doubles with Mary Pierce
Mahesh Bhupathi won his second Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 2005. Bhupathi and partner Mary Pierce of France beat Australian Paul Hanley and Ukrainian Tatiana Perebiynis 6-4, 6-2 in the final.
The Indo-French pair had got together last minute after the Indian was without a partner in mixed doubles. The unseeded pair, though, was rarely troubled and they won the title without dropping a set.
Wimbledon 2010: Leander Paes wins mixed doubles with Cara Black
Leander Paes and Cara Black of Zimbabwe made up for the disappointment in the final in the previous year to clinch the mixed doubles Wimbledon title in 2010.
The experienced pair wrapped up the first set of the final against South African Wesley Moodie and Lisa Raymond in 37 minutes. Though they were made to work hard in the second, they came through 6-4, 7-6.
Wimbledon 2015: Sania Mirza wins women's doubles with Martina Hingis
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis of Switzerland won their first Grand Slam title together at Wimbledon 2015. It was also Mirza’s first major in women’s doubles.
The top seeded Indo-Swiss pair beat the second-seeded Russian duo of Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova 5-7, 7-6, 7-5 in the final.
“It means everything to be here today,” Sania Mirza said. “To come out at Wimbledon Centre Court and have the whole crowd behind you is pretty incredible."
Wimbledon 2015: Leander Paes wins mixed doubles with Martina Hingis
Having waited for a Grand Slam for nine years, Martina Hingis won two of them in two days as she went on to win the Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Leander Paes in 2015.
Hingis, who came out of retirement for the second time in 2013, and Paes defeated Austrian Alexander Peya and Hungary's Timea Babos 6-1, 6-1 in the final in a mere 40 minutes.