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| Sunday, 20 November 2005 |
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India's star Mahesh Bhupathi keen to establish tennis centre here by Lal Gunesekera India's Grand Slam doubles "star" Mahesh Bhupathi will be arriving in Colombo within the next few days for a feasibility study to have one of his tennis centres in the island. It will be run by his company with top coaches from India. Bhupathi's company, Globe Media Solutions, though in the events' management business, runs five highly successful tennis centres in India, which have produced players in the calibre of their No. 1 Davis Cup player Bhopanna and present sensation Sania Mirza. The President of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA), Suresh Subramaniam, told the Sunday Observer that Bhupathi has been one of his long-time friends and many invitations had been extended to the Indian previously to visit Sri Lanka. Subramaniam had held early discussions with Bhupathi about setting up one of his centres in Sri Lanka. Since the country has nothing of the kind, he sees the potential of having one here. The Madras-born champion has his roots in Sri Lanka with his mother, Meena, residing in Wellawatte in the late 1950's with her parents, P. C. George and wife May. Bhupathi's marriage took place in Colombo and the bestman was former Sri Lanka national champion and Davis Cup player P. S. Kumara, who is yet a friend of Bhupathi's father. The 31-year-old Mahesh Bhupathi, who turned professional in 1995, has won Grand Slam doubles titles with Leander Paes also of India at the French open in 1999 and 2001 and Wimbled on also in 1999 as well as at the US Open in 2002 with Max Mirnyl of Bulgaria. He has also won the Mixed Doubles titles at the French Open in 1997. He has won 37 doubles titles in his career and been a finalist on 24 occasions. |
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