gbook1099

GuestBook Entries Till Oct 1, 1999

Name: Steve G
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-09-30 17:53:22
Comments: Since Jay is away, here's an update on Manisha Malhotra in Glasgow. In the first round she defeated Louise Herbert (GBR,641) 6-1 6-1. In her second round match, she defeated Aleksandra Srndovic (SWE,716) 7-6(6) 6-3. Next in the quarterfinals will be #6 seed Nicola Payne (GBR,437). If she can get by the Brit, she will face 1 of 2 unranked players facing each other in the other quarterfinal. As far as the ATP rankings discussion, from what I can tell, there will be two systems next year: a "running" system (over 52 weeks) used for seeds and entry cut-offs and a "race" system. Both systems will count super 9's, slams, and the 5 best "other" results. They still haven't figured out all of the details (and here it is October!).

Name: Miss P
Website:
Referred by: Yahoo!
From:
Time: 1999-09-30 10:49:33
Comments: Ok, I'm sure I will get some hate mail from many people about my following comments but so be it! Ok firstly I would like to point out how Americanized our brilliant doubles team has become. I seriously believe there success has gone to their head. They act as though their fans are completely beneath them! Sorry but no matter how good they are, a lack of respect towards their fans simply turns me off completely even if they are Indian!

Name: R. Jayakrishnan
Website: TennisIndia
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Kerala, now in the US
Time: 1999-09-30 09:17:21
Comments: LpMbFan, you may be right .. I too have seen the press reports that best-14 will not be used next year for the rankings (but will still be used for the tournament entries, just as now), but I have not yet believed it .. It just seems absolutely insane to do that. Plus, there are some of those hassles about forced entry into all the Super 9s and Grand slams (and I am not sure how one can justify calendar yr points for French Open -- does that mean the 52-week ranks will be used for forced entry??-- who knows!) .. We will just wait and see .. As far as rankings are considered, yes, the "Road to Hannover" and "Road to Hartford" this year sans the 14-best cutoff may be what we will see .. I am still waiting for the ATP site to say something definitive about the system, with clear rules (not the wishy-washy crap about how a calendar-year system is what people like to see, etc) .. It is surely there in some official book (like the holy ATP player guide), hidden away from the public who would like to see it (and released to Associated Press, an entity which single-handedly has done more to hurt tennis' popularity than anything else) .. By the way, why isn't ATP player guide made available cheaper and more easily ?? .. Anyway, I digress .. I will continue when I get back next week ------ Jay

Name: LpMbFan
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-09-30 06:04:19
Comments: This is in response to Dr.J's remarks about the next year's rankings. The major change in the ranking system is that from now on the Best 14 results will no longer be considered for a particular year - rather the total of points accumulated by a player during that year will contribute towards his current ranking. This has major implications because a player like Sampras who plays very little tennis (max 20 tourneys) in a year will find it tough to beat a Kafelnikov who plays at least 35 tournaments a year. Previously, only the best 14 were considered - so players who played less had a better chance of matching those guys who played more. The present "road to hannover" rankings are computed from the "best 14" tournaments during the current year. From next year onwards, the Road To Hannover rankings will be computed from the total points accumulated from "all" tournaments played during the year instead of the best 14. I agree that this system is inherently more confusing and probably even unfair to players who believe in quality rather than quantity. The people running ATP are nuts and as jay said they will surely get plenty of bad press when people find out that none of the top 8 seeds in a tournament are in the top 10 of ATP rankings for that week !!!! About popularising tennis - the major problem with this sport is that it is completely individualistic - the only meaningful team competition, the Davis Cup is pretty much a dead tournament with a three month spacing between each round and a knock-out format which does not allow the top 16 teams to play against each other - also, the conditions are pretty unfair (teams like India have made most out of it in the recent years !), being heavily loaded in favour of the home side. Unless international level team competitions are encouraged, tennis will continue to remain a money-making profession and will never be followed with as much passion as soccer. comments are welcome. LpMbFan

Name: Madhu Nagaraja
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: MYSORE, KARNATAKA
Time: 1999-09-30 01:36:19
Comments: Hello :-) Wishing P. Srinath Goodluck for the next set of tournaments. I don't know if he is still playing in India or playing any satellite tournaments abroad. if somebody get to meet him. Please, Say hello for me. I still think about him "wondering if he gets a chance to play any major tournaments. I don't know if he would remember me now. as we haven't met for the past 5 years. I used SWIM for INCOME TAX deparment. anyways, Wishing all the budding tennis talents BEST WISHES.. :-)

Name: jay2
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-09-29 20:47:43
Comments: jay, it is about time somebody expressed their opinion on the PR work that needs to be done for the game of tennis. we have probably the only game around that all people can play from birth to death. it amazes me how many people my own age (early 30's) do not want to learn how to play this game. we need to get the masses involved and the ATP and WTA have the ability to market this game to let everybody know how great of a sport this is.

Name: R. Jayakrishnan
Website: TennisIndia
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Kerala, now in California
Time: 1999-09-29 19:22:28
Comments: Re: Kumar's comments on next year's rankings, as far as I have heard, ATP has messed up big time in telling people what is going to happen -- which is that, basically nothing changes! .. They will just start giving the "Road to Hanover" ranking (which exists this year, based on calendar yr points) as "The rankings", that's all .. Entries to tournaments, etc will still be based on the same old 52-week best-of-14 points .. Basically ATP thought that the old system was sooo confusing (as in, "tennis fans can't add or subract" elitism) .. As though THAT was what was holding tennis back! .. From all I can figure out, the new system will confuse the hell out of people, because the 52-week rollover points will be mostly hidden from the public and till about June or July, you will see confusion because those who happen to do well early in the year will stay up there in the rankings and you will again find top ranked guys losing to "lowranked nobodies" .. It's high-time ATP stopped tinkering with the system and started doing something serious to improve the PR work (hint: First, start believeing that tennis IS a great game, which it is, and is not going to just die just because you no longer have a "personality" lile McEnroe .. There are tons of great players out there, and depth should be used to your advantage .. Tell people that there are a lot of other players, not just Sampras, rafter and Agassi, who are worth watching .. While you are at it, do something to get the press folks out of the cushy center courts .. give information that makes sense - not hype, to the press .. If there are stories available on non-top-10 players, GIVE IT TO THE press, damnit .. If there are people who routinesly play doubles in clubs, and would enjoy watching it, do something to get those people into the stands to watch it .. Whatever it takes .. The press guys need to get excited about tennis first .. If ATP really wants to learn how to do PR, send some folks to find out how Golf has become so popular lately! .. I can go on and on about this matter, but I will stop here) .. Anyway, as far as rankings go, nothing changes, except you will see silly-looking rankings in the newspapers all the time because Alami who won Doha and Ljubicic who won Chennai could be top-5 players early on (nothing against them -- just two two names that came to mind) ... At least that's what I am led to believe so far .. The ATP site still has not chosen to write a *single* article about the new rankings .. That itself is proof of what I was saying before .. Come February, before ATP realizes, there will be so much bad press on the new rankings, that they (and the game of tennis, by association) will all look foolish, once again .. If I hear any clear details I will certainly write about it in our notes, and I will definitely correct myself if my comments are wrong ------- Jay --- [sorry to sound so cocky, but this is a topic that gets me going every time -- all this tinkering brought about by a defeatist attitude about a great game]

Name: R. Jayakrishnan
Website: TennisIndia
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Kerala, now in California
Time: 1999-09-29 18:06:30
Comments: Sorry that I forgot that the bulletin board had a 250 message maximum. After that the board needs to be cleaned up. I have done that now, and things should be all fine .. Go to the bulletin board front page and you will see links to the archived earlier entries (right below the "read bulletin board" button you just pressed to come here!) .. .. It looks like the board is working with no problems now -- So keep those messages, thoughts, analyses and criticisms coming ! ________ Jay

Name: kartik radhakrishnan
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: basildon, UK
Time: 1999-09-25 23:16:54
Comments: I cannot believe someone actually questioned Leander's patriotism. You can question his fight on the court in ATP matches occassionally, and I do wish he stopped questioning calls so much, but he is 100 % pure indian. People are confusing results with patriotism. How soon we forget DAvis Cup. I think many of us tend to look at the negative results and forget the great ones. Keep in mind we have beaten France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Chile, and Croatia without a guy in the top 50. How can you question Leander's patriotism? He is our secret weapon when we play Davis Cup..Also, the man gave money to the soldiers in Kargil, and do not forget saved face for us at the Olympics....Anyway, just felt like commenting after seeing some fool's comments about Leander. I do think he needs to be more positive on the court for singles - his body language has been very bad over the past year. He tends to lose focus over questionable (in his mind) line calls, and then lose heart. I think it would help him to block out the negative thinking in matches, and forget the line calls. On a quick note - why are we not firing Mukherjee now? Why did NAresh Kumar ever lose his job? Will Ramesh Krishnan take the job? I hope someone knows...

Name: R. Jayakrishnan
Website: TennisIndia
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Kerala, now in California
Time: 1999-09-23 16:15:58
Comments: Hey Fazal -- nice to see your comments, and thanks for taking issue with the weird criticisms about Leander, of all people. It's sad that Indians are so quick to accuse those who really care for India .. Go to extremes to badmouth other Indians - that's a habit for many. The point is that it is often those who don't care for their country who have trouble accepting that there are others who do! .. Anyway, good to see you are doing fine getting some practice in, at Philly .. and thanks for the comment on our support helping -- that means a lot to all of us fans who look towards you guys to keep our flag flying! .. All the best ----------- Jay. ______ (PS: I am not the Jay who filled up the board with repeat messages below -- damn you, Jay :-) .. but I understand that he had trouble with the computer - probably more because of the board being a little flaky these days) ..

Name: fazal
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-09-23 03:31:49
Comments: I'd just like to thank all the sane people out there,reggie,kumar,jay..... Thanks for that. Also a special word of thanks to jay from philly,appreciate your positive support in my career. I've been working very hard last few weeks,hope the results show for themselves soon.

Name: jay
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-09-22 20:34:46
Comments: sorry about all the inputs my computer was giving me an error message so i didnt think it went through

Name: jay
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-09-22 20:29:10
Comments: LP & MB are about to make tennis history. but there are also stars rising. we need to get behind those people as well. it is easy to cheer for the two best doubles players in the world but while we cheer for them lets get behind Fazal, who is close to playing in the ATP tour events. All these players need to hear from us. Keep LP & MB in the number one spot but try to give encouragement to the guys and girls trying to be number 1.

Name: jay
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: philadelphia
Time: 1999-09-22 20:21:28
Comments: i cant believe that people would talk down about a great athlete. we should not only be talking great about LP & MB but about the other great players india has. the up and coming need to hear us too. fazal is on the brink of breaking into tour events and we need to get behind him. lets go MB, LP, and lets go to all the players trying to make it out there. lets go fazal keep plugging!!!!

Name: Kumar
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-09-22 18:44:29
Comments: wow, a very spicy(may be more hot than reqd). message about LP. He just doesn't know what is talking about when he questions Leander's patriotism, just go back a year , when he took rusdeski to five sets on a cold day. You haven't seen LP doing that on singles circuit for a long time. Though I don't want to get personal, I would like to ask this person a simple question. If he had talent in a field , which pays him lot of money, will he sacrifice it to do something else , in which he is not good and hence doesn't pay him money. May be LP is not having even average results in singles, so what ? He has inspired lot of people to take up tennis seriously in India. I think LP will come back and play a great tennis next year. Bushan, as far as your question about ranking, your year around points will carry to next year, For the purpose of identifying Main draw entries, seeds and qualifiers. So there will two points system, one beginning from the year start and another using last years points. So if LP tries to enter australian open (and does not get any worthy points this year) , he will be force to play qualies. This is what I heard during a commentary (tennis match). It is quite possible that a person ranked no: 1 (by winning the first tournament next year), but hardly has any points last year (say 10) will end up playing the qualies at australian open ( because of his points for a year). Folks correct me if I am wrong.

Name: reggie
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: where else??
Time: 1999-09-21 17:53:07
Comments: No one has contributed more to Indian tennis than Leander, anyone who disagrees does not know" his ball from his racquet." I have a few choice words for the one who wrote that nasty comment, but I will not stoop down to his level. Hope LP/MB will have a good rest/vacation and come back to win titles and all that good stuff for the rest of the year. Reggie

Name: Fazal
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-09-16 05:01:37
Comments: I have to say that I'm absolutely appalled at the person(i'd like to say moron) who wrote those cheesy remarks on leander. first of all give the guy credit for becoming the very best.mind u the BEST in the world.hello,r u thinking? It doesn't come easy and yes he might be suffering in singles now but to call him unpatriotic and letting the country down,man you've got got to be on some bad stuff! If there is an opportunity for an individual to be on the verge of creating history, should he go for that or should he try to satisfy your so called aims.To do what they hace achieved they have sacrificed plenty so give it up people,appreciate this amazing athlete and stop looking at the bleak side.

Name: T.J. Hyman
Website:
Referred by: From a Friend
From: California
Time: 1999-09-14 22:23:31
Comments: Congrats to Leander from his old coach TJ-SIR. Have a great vacation, rest, and never forget those 5:45 am practices at MCC!!

Name: Mutsumi
Website:
Referred by: Yahoo!
From: Japan
Time: 1999-09-11 19:21:04
Comments: Hi! I like Mahesh Bhupathi! I wanna friends who also love Indian tennis players! E-mail me! Let"s talk about tennis a lot! I am 20 y/o university student. Female. From Japan! Waitting your e-mail, friends!

Name: LpMbFan
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-08-28 07:03:29
Comments: man, is he pissed !!!!!! must have bet a grand on Lp winning the open this year :) LpMbFan

Name: A leander Fan
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-08-28 04:31:48
Comments: I’ve to agree with the some of the comments made here about Leander. Leander, your days are numbered in Singles. What is your achievement this year in the singles tournaments ?? Winning two challengers in Indian Soil. Loosing first round in Australian Open and disastrous 1st round match against a qualifier in Wimbledon. You couldn’t qualify in French open , loosing the 2nd qualifying round and then this time going one step ahead loosing the first round in US Open !! What a horrifying result !! You made us think that you are good on grass. But you proved yourself wrong so many times. US open is the Grand Slam where you have produced the best results so far. The fans like me who were banking on this US open are hurt again that you proved us wrong this time also !! Don’t worry Leander, we are getting used to it.
What hurt us when you lost a first round match couple of weeks back to a 611th ranked player in the world !! You lost everything, lost the killing instinct, motivation and the ability to beat some good player. Those who think that you are still capable of beating top 40 players are living in the fool’s world or they are simply blind, they don’t realize the situation. You don’t even qualify big tournaments. Wherever you get direct entry, you participate there and always avoid playing the qualifying rounds showing some excuses. What a fantastic approach!!
Things have changed for you Leander. Earlier the Tricolor used to motivate you like anything. You used to play for that very tricolor. That was your biggest motivation. But it seems that you’re playing not for the Tricolor but for the Money!! Yes, it is fact!! There is no point in playing singles these days – you realize that truth. So it is better to concentrate on Doubles where you are sure of winning some good money. Who says your are ranked around 200?? what does it matter ?? You are ranked 20th in the Career prize money earning this year. A great achievement for any Indian. We are proud of you Leander!! Really very proud. Keep it up man !!

Name: B. Bhushan Sharma
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Oklahoma. USA
Time: 1999-08-27 17:14:17
Comments: Thanks LpMbFan for correcting my assumption that the players will carry this year's points with them into 2000. (That's why my opinion and two quaters or is it one dollar that will buy you a cup of coffee!) However, I disagree with you when you say that LP, MB, PS or SF will win the tournaments planned for at the beginning of the year. I hope your predictions for these players turn out to be true but I think you are either being sarcastic or just joking! Any way, thanks for correcting me. Jay or anybody else, how will they choose the players for the early 2000 tournaments if everybody starts with 0 points on 1-1-2000?

Name: LpMbFan
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-08-27 15:12:07
Comments: To Dr.B.Bhusan: Your comment " I do not think that LPMBFAN's (sarcastic) formula for LP's success will work because LP has to defend the Challenger titles he won in India in the winter, so he can only replace those points and probably not add many more points to his tally." is unresearched and hence incorrect. From next year ATP is introducing a new points system whereby all the previous year's tournament points will be dropped. So, on January 1, 2000 everyone starts at 0. There are three tournaments scheduled for that week Adelaide, Chennai and Doha. Adelaide has the highest points among them. So whoever wins Adelaide will be the new world#1 (just like the doubles team rankings). Also the best 14 system will go away. So, your cummulative points for all tournaments you play will be taken into account. This will have far reaching ramifications because players like Sampras and Agassi who play less tennis (compared to a Kafelnikov for e.g.) will struggle to maintain their #1 rankings. Anyway, my point was that if LP won Adelaide, MB won Chennai and PS won Qatar beating SF then they will be the top four ranked players in the world (on 10th Jan, 2000) irrespective of how they did in 1999. If I am going wrong anywhere, please correct me. Yours truly, LpMbFan

Name: B. Bhushan Sharma
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Oklahoma, USA
Time: 1999-08-27 05:24:00
Comments: I do not mean to suggest that LP is done with "singles" tennis. He still has few good years of singles tennis left in him. However, it is my feeling that his singles ranking may get up to the 75-100 range but no further up. With his ranking in the 175-200 range he will be unable to get into the qualifiers of big tennis tournaments where he will be playing doubles, or the doubles semifinals/finals of the previous tournament will prevent him from getting into the singles qualifiers of the next weeks tournament (MB got into this kind of situation this year). Besides, in my opinion LP has the tools to be a great doubles player (great reflexes, awesome net game, outstanding team work, decent ground strokes, etc.) but lacks the form to be a top ten singles player (big serve, powerful ground strokes, confidence to defeat any player on any given day, etc,). My opinion and two quaters will get you a cup of coffee but this is how I feel about LP's game. I hope Jay is right and LP can get to become a top 40 singles player in the world. A junior #1 ranking usually does not convert into #1 ranking in men's singles. Talent without power can take you to #1 junior's ranking but once the power game comes at age 18 years and above, people like Sampras, Agassi, Rafter, etc with talent and power will rule the singles game. Michael Chang is a great example of why lack of power game will prevent an exceptionally talented player from becoming a world champion in singles. I do not think that LPMBFAN's (sarcastic) formula for LP's success will work because LP has to defend the Challenger titles he won in India in the winter, so he can only replace those points and probably not add many more points to his tally. I wish LP, MB and the other Indian tennis players all the luck and pray that they will do well, and I hope that LP and MB can make me "eat my words" for my pessimistic views about their singles game. I plan to be at the chat room to cheer for LP-MB when they win the US Open Doubles title. Go LP-MB go!!!

Name: LpMbFan
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-08-26 19:11:23
Comments: sorry for the typo - the date below should be 10th Jan 2000. yours apologetically, LpMbFan

Name: LpMbFan
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-08-26 19:05:35
Comments: Hi guys: don't be so frustrated. LP is waiting for the right time to strike form. This December, he will play those challenging challengers in his homeland and no doubt win all of them (beating his faithful buddy Bhupathi in the finals). Then he will get a lot of confidence (and *form*) and start the new season at Adelaide. And if he wins Adelaide (which he definitely has the *talent* to), he will be the new World#1. The only hitch is that the Chennai tournament is scheduled for the same week and has less points than the Adelaide tournament. But, wait - may be Bhupathi will win Chennai and become world#2. Even that is not all. There is another tournament in the same week at Qatar which Srinath might choose to win (beating another star Indian player Fazaluddin, of course). So, on 10th Jan, 2001 the rankings will be as follows: 1) LP 2) MB, 3) PS, 4) SF 5) Sampras 6) Agassi etc etc. The sad part is that LP/MB will no longer be world#1 in doubles. But who cares about doubles when you have the top 4 singles players in the world from your country ? Is anybody not convinced ? Please let me know. Yours anticipatingly, LpMb(PsSf)Fan

Name: R. Jayakrishnan
Website: TennisIndia
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Kerala, now in California
Time: 1999-08-26 17:32:30
Comments: Nice to see all the comments. I personally feel that there is really not much of a priority problem right now with LP. I think he may have let things slip a bit in his quest to make sure that they reached the top in doubles (don't forget that it was only two months back with that FO title that they finally felt they had gotten over all the question marks about how far they could go) .. LP may be in some sense suffering from letting singles slip a bit earlier on .. His coach being away for a few months due to medical reasons added to the problems .. Anyway, I feel LP has been working pretty seriously on singles lately - I have talked to him many times recently and can say this with no doubt .. The problem right now is that he needs to get his confidence back in playing the shots he has .. I am not sure I agree that there is *no* difference between LP and top players .. LP plays the kind of game where he really does not have a single big "weapon" in his arsenal - many top players can get over slumps by going to their "bread-and-butter" weapons - I doubt LP ever had one weapon like that .. He plays pretty much all the shots in the book, some shots better than other .. He also may need to adjust his strategies, etc, a bit to counter the changes in the style of tennis opver the last few years (way too many guys in the top-300 with extremely solid groundstrokes and service) .. Right now LP is tentative on many of the shots he has with him, especially at big points .. That is what happens when you hit a slump .. Give him a bit of time and a break to put these losses behind in the past and restart, and he will be fine .. As for where he can go with his singles, I am of the opinion that he shouldn't drop his doubles goals and try to go to #1 in singles (which was definitely his goal when he was #1 in juniors) .. He cannot .. What I want him to be, is to get back to not being pushed around by nobodies in singles, and to reach a realistic ranking. He does have talent to be inside the top-50 while keeping his doubles ranking where it is .. As I said in an earlier note, I don't want him to be the among the very few doubles #1 players who had never stayed at a reasonably high level (say top30 to top50) for at least some time .. Same with Mahesh who also has it in him to be at least top-75 or top-100 .. Just watch what these two guys do in shot-making in doubles matches and you will see that it's a matter of time, effort, and confidence. They do know their priorities .. Their planning has definitely not been the best, but some of it is understandable as they were still waiting to prove themselves in doubles .. They will be able to plan and follow their priorities and goals much better now .. There is my two cents on it -------- Jay

Name: Mohan Bisht
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Dallas, USA
Time: 1999-08-26 14:41:30
Comments: Sad to see Leander Paes going down to a player ranked in 200+. Its time for Leander to set his priorities. We know that its tough for a player to perform at top level both in singles and doubles. lately LP has been taking doubles seriously but ignoring singles. Do we think he is over the hill as far as singles concerned? I don't think so. Most of the players perform well when there in 24-28 years range and I still think LP has couple of years of good tennis left in him. The only thing he is missing these days is lack of concentration and no motivation to perfrom better in singles. !! Go LP !!

Name: Vikram
Website: i doubt information services
Referred by: Clicked on a 'Guestbooks by GuestWorld' Button
From: Fan Club
Time: 1999-08-26 09:34:59
Comments: I still believe that LP has what it takes to be in the top 100. Don't write him off. Go Lee Go!

Name: Mathew Samuel
Website:
Referred by: Clicked on a 'Guestbooks by GuestWorld' Button
From:
Time: 1999-08-26 03:46:15
Comments:

Hello Everyone,

I must admit, I was deeply disappointed by watching LP lose to Hill today. I got so frustrated, I couldn't watch the Java scoreboard anymore. I have been going to the US open for the past 2 years and it is sad not to have a single Indian (male) to root for in singles.

It's astounding considering Leander's display 2 years ago when he reached the 3rd round and was on his way to an upset of Cedric Pioline. I still have a souvenir from that match: LP's broken racquet which he gave to me.

Contrary to what people have been saying in this forum, I think that LP's double's success just underscores that fact that he can do extremely well in singles if he overcomes his current troubles. Keep the Faith LP!! I think -- maybe this will sound too simplistic -- that he needs to expect more from himself in singles. I don't see his current ranking as a reflection of his tennis skills, its just a crisis of confidence. There isn't that much separating a LP from the likes of Kafelnikov, Henman, etc. It's largely mental toughness.

Good Luck Leander. I still believe ...

Mathew

Name: naveen kumar
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-08-25 22:10:57
Comments: I really do not understand the point of the previous discussion. Nobody in their right mind expects either PAes or Bhupathi to do a whole lot in singles anymore. This is not harsh criticism, but simply realism. I think they have both put doubles ahead of singles, and I can't say I blame them. Remember - this is a profession for them - they are not very good singles players. They are excellent doubles players. They have to earn a living. I do not have a problem with them focusing on doubles. Remember, nobody is going to remember mediocrity. Only the top guys get remembered. Might as well be top in doubles. Frankly, Leander might have already reached the peak of his career. HE is starting to lose to guys I have never heard of. HE has played for around 10 years, and still has yet to get past the 3rd round of a Grand SLam. The fanclub needs to be realistic. LEander PAes is simply not a very good player in singles. Be happy for the doubles success, and quit crying about singles. personally, I think HArsh MAnkad may have a bright future - I saw him play 2-3 years ago and barely lose to Aisam al - querishi.

Name: LpMbFan
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-08-24 23:54:58
Comments: Dear P.George, Looks like you did not get my point. You said, McEnroe, Rafter were never known for their doubles play. That's pure crap and that's what I protested against. You said LP/MB were trying to achieve singles greatness on par with Borg/Connors etc. That is utter nonsense again. LP might have dreamt of being the next McEnroe 20 years back. I am sure he knows better now. And so does every member of this fanclub, I am sure. Anyway, you rather unnecessarily brought up P.Fleming's name to pursue some vague line of argument. Winning a grand slam is not the criteria to be called a top-class singles player. Those who win grand slams are more than just top-class !!! Bjorkmann had a highest singles ranking of 4 and a doubles ranking of 3 ; Jarryd was #5 and #1, Woodforde was #19 and #1, Woodbridge was #19 and #1 and Eltingh was #19 and #1 too !!! They were both top-class singles and doubles players though their doubles definitely overshadowed their singles achievements. LP/MB are both far far away from achieving these standards in singles and these are the sort of singles goals they should be setting for themselves. I am not even considering John McEnroe's name. He was an exception and will probably remain unparalleled in the near future (at least). Trying to emulate a McEnroe/Connors/Borg in singles would be genuinely stupid at this point of LP/MB's career. Yours truly LpMbFan

Name: Dr. B. Bhushan Sharma, M.D.
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Oklahoma, USA
Time: 1999-08-24 21:00:37
Comments: It is heartening to note that the LP-MB tennis fans are discussing the value of singles ranking for great doubles players. As Indian tennis fans we would like to see LP and MB ranked among the top ten or twenty in the world in singles to go along with their #1 ranking in the doubles. Realistically the singles and doubles game has changed a lot in the past ten years or so. Players who want to be # 1 are concentrating either on their singles or doubles game. Despite the singles ranking of Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge in the top 50's or so, the Woodies will always be remembered for the doubles play and not for their singles rankings. The same goes for Jacco Eltingh. On the other hand Patrick Rafter will be remembered for his singles play and not so much for his doubles achievements. Few players like John McEnroe, John Newcombe, Fred Stolle, etc. can achieve greatness in both singles and doubles play. Patrick Rafter comes closest to these great players who excelled both in the singles and doubles. I do not think that LP or MB have in them the qualities to become top 10 or 20 in singles and #1 in doubles. I wish they could achieve that distinction but it is perhaps just wishfull thinking because we want our heroes to be the best. Is their any harm in being #1 in doubles and not be in the top 100 in singles? LP amd MB are professional players whose job is to earn money playing tennis. They have made more money from the doubles play than their singles play. They can extend their career by concentrating on their doubles game. They have a chance of being one of the greatest doubles team in tennis, and in my opinion that is where they should focus their energy.

Name: P.J George
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Singapore
Time: 1999-08-24 01:16:23
Comments: No, I am not stupid. Just a realist. You are no doubt talking about the McEnroe/Peter Fleming combo. Tell me, what major singles titles did Fleming ever win? He was always playing in the shadow of McEnroe. And the other players you named - Jarryd, Bjorkman etc - how many of them have won a Grand Slam singles title? My contention still stands - unless proven otherwise, I do not think that either LP or MB will ever become great singles players. Look at the rankings, my friend - they are impartial and they are not subject to wishful thinking!

Name: LpMbFan
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: sarasota, Fl
Time: 1999-08-23 17:12:58
Comments: Hi P.George : What a irritatingly stupid comment I swear !!!! John McEnroe was one of the all time doubles greats and Patrick Rafter is an extremely accomplished doubles player (probably would be ranked higher than either of LP/MB if he had the time to play doubles). I think you do not know what you are talking about. Just for your info, Anders Jarryd (Sweden), Jonas Bjorkmann (Sweden), Mark Woodforde (Aus), Todd Woodbridge (Aus), Jacco Eltingh (Ned) have had a rewarding career in both singles and doubles. Also, I do not agree that LP and MB are aiming for singles achievements on par with Connors/Borg/McEnroe. At this point in their career, they would be insane to do so !!! I can't believe you wrote that McEnroe did not have the temperament for doubles play. When did you start watching tennis, if at all ??? (i suspect after 1994). Yours truly, LpMbFan

Name: P.J. George
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-08-22 02:43:11
Comments: I am not sure whether LP and MB are pursuing mutually contradictory objectives in wanting to be top-class singles players as well as doubles players. In the history of the game, the great singles players (Borg, Vilas, Connors McEnroe, Sampras, Rafter etc) were never known for their doubles play. It is a matter of attitude and ego, as well as temperament and talent, plus hunger. Comments?

Name: Mala Lechera
Website:
Referred by: Yahoo!
From: Planet Earth
Time: 1999-08-13 05:25:11
Comments: Well Jay it was nice talking to u on the ball 2 ball chat thing! like always your so nice to "us." I want to thank you for all the time u had for all of us as well... I went to class hopeing the guys WILL pull it off =( but as soon as I left..... well I know they'll kick some butt next time! I hope Mr.Bhupathi feels better! ciao luv..... paola

Name: hari bhole
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: boston
Time: 1999-08-12 15:23:34
Comments: IT was good seeing HArsh play tight against a top-20 NCAA player. Top 20 players in college tend to be around #300-#400 on the ATP tour. Given HArsh's youth, this is a good result. Plus, Root plays for DUke, which is a top 10 tennis school (their former #1 Geoff GRant is ranked #200). Anyway, it was heartening given the recent listing of bad news (has Leander even won a match in a Super 9 tourney ever??). In all honesty, it might be time for PAes to switch coaches- his groundies are the same weak flank as always.

Name: R. Jayakrishnan
Website: TennisIndia
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Kerala, now in California
Time: 1999-08-09 07:34:54
Comments: Paola - I think jb's comments are the result of the schedule I had online earlier. It's true that they had scheduled different partners. I hadn't explained the reasons. After Wimbledon, LP was going to Newport and MB was going to play a few challengers in England, both for singles-reasons. MB would not have made the draw at Newport, and since there was no point in wasting a week picking up just 150 doubles points with a Newport title, MB made the right decision to play challengers. That meant LP would be playing with somebody else. LP genuinely enjoys playing doubles, and generally enters doubles wherever he plays, even if singles is his primary focus for that week, as at Newport and LA (both offering very little prize money and points in doubles). Since MB was going to be in Europe playing challengers, there was Stuttgart Open which has pretty good prize money, worth playing just doubles at. It is on clay, which means LP would not be going there, as he is not interested in playing singles on clay (much better chance on other surfaces). So MB had expected to play with Kafelnikov there. Since MB wouldn't be at LA, Leander looked for another partner - and Bjorkman would be a natural fit. When you look at that, their schedule actually did have other partners. This was all predicated by their focus on singles during this period. Of course, none of that came to anything, as MB stayed off for 5 weeks due to injury, and LP didn't fare well in singles either ----- I would guess that you will see more of this in the future, now that they are finally confident of picking up big points at grand slams and super 9s, perhaps enough to be #1 with just those 18 weeks of doubles. You may find some 15-20 weeks a year when these two play at other places for singles (and while they do that, they may play with other partners in doubles). I disagree with jb that doubles is all they would/should look to be remembered for. We *know* they can win doubles titles in their sleep if they are healthy and continue to put in the work to stay sharp. They both have a lot to prove in singles. I don't think either wants to be remembered as just doubles specialists. Mahesh can be a top-100 player and Leander can be a top-50 player, if they plan, focus, and work towards it - they both have the tools for that. Most great doubles teams have had players who at least for some time proved they *could* play excellent singles by staying for some time at least in the top-50 or top-75 range. Yes, it's true that it is extremely difficult to show success in both singles and doubles (there has only been one McEnroe), but a few others (Woodbridge, Woodforde, Haarhuis, Bjorkman, etc) have shown that quite a bit more is possible than what LP and MB have been able to do so far in singles. If LP and MB do not achieve some success at least somwhat comparable to that, their records in doubles would always be marked with an unstated asterisk. I don't think either wants to just forget singles, if for nothing else, due to just this. They demand that out of themselves, but have not YET been successful in carrying out their own plans. We fans know they can do it. So, let's not try to forget singles altogether. They should/must continue to put in effort towards singles. I agree that they will ultimately be remembered as the doubles team that won at least 30-40 titles and is one of the 4-5 best teams of all time (heck why not 58 titles and the best ever?) --- but I do not want all those people to also say this - "..but they couldn't cut it in singles .." If you take a look at the top doubles teams of all time, you will find very few players of whom that could be said (not all stayed at the top in singles for too long, but most reached some high levels for some time). Would you want LP and MB to be the first to get that asterisk? .. I hope I make the point. I trust they both know this, and would push themselves to the best they can be in singles too. That's all we can ask for ----- Jay

Name: Paola Calderon
Website: not keeping things in
Referred by: AOL
From: Indian Wells
Time: 1999-08-08 19:47:37
Comments: Dear jay I'm sorry you have to listen to noncence Jb! Jb, Lee and Hesh seem good friends I dont think there avoiding eachother! Mahesh is still hurt why wont you get that trough your head? anyways, LP/MB are made for each other, they have time playing and they know each others game, once they go back together they WILL make the come back!!!! good bless you guys! =)

Name: jb
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-08-06 12:05:09
Comments: LP-MB were NOT to be playing doubles together for 1 month after Wimbledon whereas in the same period both were to play doubles with OTHER partners. However that was the shedule BEFORE Mahesh decided to skip the tournaments because of his injury. The shedule currently on the web is the one which includes Mahesh's injury withdrawl's and which Jay reffers to and is not the shedule I am reffering to. ** Although LP-MB may not be delibrately avoiding each other I still believe that their legacy will be doubles and only doubles. Nobody will care how long MB was ranked in the top 300 in singles, but what will be important is how high they will end on the all time doubles listings. Therefore my plea to both to try to get as high on the listings of all time doubles teams as long as they can. Also Jay can you publish a list of the of the all time great doubles teams ( in terms of tournaments, grand slam tournaments etc won ), updating it whenever LP-MB win a tournament.

Name: R. Jayakrishnan
Website: TennisIndia
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Kerals, now in US
Time: 1999-08-04 23:40:48
Comments: Quite a few comments to reply to! --- keep them coming ---- first, to jb -- LP and MB did not "avoid" playing together at any place. Either of them has been injured at EACH AND EVERY place where they play with other partners .. Where did you get that idea about them avoiding playing together ? ------ to PJGeorge, LP does not have any confidence problem about beating top players .. You are partly right about one thing though .. He seems less confident of some of his shots (top-spin backhand, etc), that's all. He hardly had much singles matches and physical training for several months due to injuries, and his coach has been away for months till recently, too. I feel that is what is causing a bit of a mental thing about some of his shots -- He will get that back with some work and match practice (he *does* need to do the work seriously, and I think he will). One thing that has always been different about LP is that he is not one who fears his opponent. He never has. There isn't a pattern in his career where he has lost meekly to top players while he played like a king against lower players .. He wins and loses pretty much the same way regardless of the ranking of the opponents (of course, lower winning percentage against top-50 players, as you would expect) .. That's what I feel. When he is confident of HIS OWN GAME, he can beats a lot of top players. If not he loses to the Chris Groers and Dmitryi Tomashevics of the world too ... Finally, to bilquis -- hey, wasn't that the first time I said "crashed out" ?? .. Look what I get! - sometimes people write to me saying I am too soft on the players .. Now I get the reverse comment .. I only used the term for some variety (I have reported a lot of losses from a lot of players in the last few weeks, actually!) .. Don't worry, I know Niru well enough - the lady ain't hassled about these things. Your point is well-taken. I don't use such harsh terms for the young players, and won't. I can also imagine what they all go through (by the way, what do you mean "I seem to think the players read my notes" ? --- I know about some who read, and I know there are many who don't - what's the big deal?).

Name: jb
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-08-04 15:45:25
Comments: For a whopping 8 straight years Leander managed to improve his year end singles ranking every single year. Sadly this streak had to come to an end sometime, but the new found doubles sucess offers ample compensation.

Name: P.J George
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Singapore
Time: 1999-08-04 07:21:51
Comments: What is happening with LP? Another first round singles loss in Montreal. I would have thought that a player with LP's experience and match exposure would know better than most how to "psych" himself up. It looks as though he is not convinced in his own mind that he can be both a top-class singles and doubles player. Perhaps he needs some sessions with a good sports pychiatrist to nail down what is clearly bugging him.

Name: Bilquis
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-08-04 02:47:46
Comments: I am begining to dislike the term "Crashed Out", which is used quite frequently in Indian dailies when reporting results on tennis matches. It seems like you have caught the same fever, as well. Playing 2 matches on the same day in 115 degree weather and beating Lindsay Lee(former top 40 player) 2&2 in the process before losing 6, 4&4 is not necessarily crashing out. Its obvious that Nirupama is struggling with her form and confidence, but statements like "Crashed Out" can be disconcerting for the player(if they do happen to read your notes, as you seem to think).

Name: jb
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-08-02 15:27:04
Comments: about lee and hesh avoiding playing doubles together when they infact can ( see their shedules), bye playing with other partners or concentrating on singles: YOU WILL BE REMEMBERD FOR YOUR DOUBLES. THEREFORE AIM TO END UP AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE ON THE LIST OF ALL TIME GREAT DOUBLES PAIRINGS.

Name: Rajahbabe
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Indian Wells
Time: 1999-08-01 02:30:30
Comments: It's been a long time since we've seen a good doubles match. I'm happy you guys are playing together in the US Open Good luck to you both, Daddy and Lee P.S Daddy, take care of trainer

Name: P.J. George
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Singapore
Time: 1999-07-31 03:01:08
Comments: I really hope that Leander gets his act together as a singles player. He has all the talent and the strokes - question is whether he can summon up the confidence and mind strength to realise that he can mix it up with the best ot the singles players - the Samprases, Agassis, Rafters etc. The first round loss in LA was a big disappointment to his fans. World class singles play is as much mind strength as it is talent, will power and strokes, plus an element of luck. Most of the Indian tennis players - Vijay, Ramesh and now Leander simply don't appear to have the will power to fight back when they are a set or two down. Why is this? Is it something in the Indian psyche that says that it is better to be a good loser than a bad winner?

Name: Kumar
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Denver,co
Time: 1999-07-30 14:18:46
Comments: Missed the Chat. Is it possible to post the chat transcripts on the web Kumar

Name: Dr. B. Bhushan Sharma, M.D.
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Oklahoma, USA
Time: 1999-07-29 22:55:21
Comments: Congratulations on getting a new website. It looks great. Prakash Hemdev has done a terrific job of designing it.

Name: Nayan Chaudhury
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Calcutta
Time: 1999-07-29 05:24:05
Comments: hi, I would like to know if Lee & Hesh have got any good sponsers-(i mean big ones, coz they deserve it). Also if they get appearance money for the tournaments they play. Nayan

Name: Krish Dey
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Now in India
Time: 1999-07-29 04:11:27
Comments: Congratulation Leander and Mahesh for winning Wimbledon Doubles'99. Once again you made us proud.
Lee, special congratulation to you for winning the doubles and mixed doubles title at Wimbledon.

Name: R. Jayakrishnan
Website: TennisIndia
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Kerala, now in the US
Time: 1999-07-28 15:23:00
Comments: Forgot to answer Dev's other question - whether we have any juniors who can play the US Open. The answer is no, sadly. The highest ranked Indian Junior is right now Sheetal Gautham, who is at #89. She does have an outside chance to make the draw, actually (Uzma Khan with a #79 ranking made the draw last year -- it is a 64-size draw, and sometimes it goes about 20-25 spots lower as some kids won't play) .. Radhika Tulpule, who is sure to be ranked much higher next year, is at #108 at the second spot among girls. I would have expected 17-yr old Shruti Dhawan to be ranked inside the top-100 now, but she chose to play only a couple of junior events this year. As for boys, since Kedar Tembe, AV Rao, and Karan Doctor are all at #120 or lower last I checked. The one who would have made it in had he stayed in the juniors, is 18 yr old Manoj Mahadevan who was inside the top-75 even a couple of years back but chose to skip the juniors this year to play the senior events in India. We will just have to wait for a year and see if any of the above boys and others like Sunil Kumar, CS Mohanty, Anant Sitaram, P.Ravikrishna, etc could make a splash by 2000 August .. Yeah, I know, it's been rather bleak lately, and our scant participation in junior grand slams for 2-3 years now, is very troubling .. Frankly I still see no coordinated efforts from anybody in India to help develop our kids, plan good schedules for them and find sponsorship for travel. We will just have to get lucky with somebody one of these days. Who will be there in 4-5 years when LP,MB, Srinath and Fazal are all over or pushing 30 yrs of age ? .. I really don't know .. I keep saying we will lose to even Pakistan in 4-5 years if we don't watch it (that one kid Aisam Qureshi is enough for that), not to mention the Thailands and others in Asia .. And I hardly see any urgency in this matter from any quarters, and everybody is feeling real "khush" about the LP-MB grand slam titles etc .. There is some momentum out there that can be used for something good, but is anybody making use of it ? _____ Jay

Name: R. Jayakrishnan
Website: TennisIndia
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Kerala, India
Time: 1999-07-28 06:30:53
Comments: BTW, to add more to the naming stuff, I didn't say that ATP arbitraily changed Fazal's name in the database. I would guess that it was following a request from Fazal himself, or simply because he was entering tournament under the name Fazal Syed (as he should if Fazal is the "given" name and Syed is really a surname, which I believe it is, since his dad is Syed Nayeemuddin). In fact I do remember some draw sheets faxed to me from the 98 US summer futures which showed F.Syed, while the ATP rankings still showed Syed Fazaluddin. I had trouble in phone calls to tournament offices who claimed there was no S.Fazaluddin playing there! .. I think ATP got the wrong name in the database at first, most probably because the results sheets they got from the futures in India in Dec-Jan 97 had S.Fazaluddin. Well, I will ask Fazal one of these days what the story is, but what it is now is the correct name as it should be .. Yes, any newspaper report from foreign tournaments will call him "Syed", as sports reports convention is to normally use single last names without "Mr.", unless the last name is a very common one like "Williams" .. Makes sense ? (I know it doesn't, to LpMbFan :-)) _____ Jay.

Name: R. Jayakrishnan
Website: TennisIndia
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Kerala, now in India
Time: 1999-07-28 05:50:01
Comments: LPMBFan - I was talking about the name people use to actually "call" somebody, not about which name is used in tennis discussions. Sampras, Agassi, Rafter, etc are called Pete, Andre and Patrik by friends and others. Nobody will say "Hi Sampras" in a phone conversation. Similarly, I believe, people who call Fazal do not say "Hi Syed" .. Not sure about Srinath, though I believe his calling name is Srinath .. All I said was that the "calling name" is not necessarily the first name in Indian official records, and it is often the name used in Indian newspaper reports etc. Fazal's school record may for instance have just "S.Fazaluddin" or "Fazaluddin S.", same way as my school records show "R.Jayakrishnan". In my case, my "given" name has indeed become my last name in the US, as I didn't change the order in the US. This is not a very confusing or unusual thing. You are on a strange trip all the time aren't you ? :-) _____ Jay

Name: LpMbFan
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: sarasota, Florida
Time: 1999-07-26 02:57:04
Comments: Correct me if I am wrong but.............. everyone refers to Pete Sampras as Sampras and rarely as Pete but in the ATP database his first name is Pete, everyone refers to Andre Agassi as Agassi and rarely as Andre but in the ATP database his first name is Andre, everyone refers to Patrick Rafter as Rafter and rarely as Patrick but in the ATP database his first name is Patrick, everyone refers to John McEnroe as McEnroe and rarely as John but in the ATP database his first name is John, The list can go on and on............................................. As far as I know there is no Western naming convention which swaps someone's last name for his first name... Prahlad Srinath and Syed Fazaluddin are registered incorrectly in the ATP databases probably due to their self chosen conventions/confusions while doing some paperwork.. At any rate Dr. Jaykay's statement that: "That also makes sense, because Fazaluddin is the name people call him, so it becomes Fazaluddin Syed, according to the western naming convention" makes no sense to me (it shouldn't to anybody!) However the next statement ".. Anyway, I write Fazal Syed now!" makes perfect sense..... There are a lot of things Dr.Jaykay will do **anyways** whether or not they make sense..... Yours sarcastically, LpMbFan

Name: R. Jayakrishnan
Website: TennisIndia
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Kerala, now in Irvine, CA.
Time: 1999-07-25 23:38:02
Comments: Well, it was P Srinath, or Prahlad Srinath earlier, I believe .. A year or so back, I noticed that ATP had officially changed their database to Srinath Prahlad .. I think the name that people always called him was Srinath - if so, making that the first name would be proper .. Anyway, ever since I saw they changed it at the ATP database, I started using that name. I believe others are perhaps doing it too. (Same story with Fazal, whose name was written as Syed Fazaluddin before .. At the same time when Sri's name changed, I found Fazal's name also had changed at ATP .. That also makes sense, because Fazaluddin is the name people call him, so it becomes Fazaluddin Syed, according to the western naming convention .. Anyway, I write Fazal Syed now!) ______ Jay

Name: Dev kalhotra
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-07-23 23:46:27
Comments: This is more of a random question - is it PRahlad Srinath or Srinath PRahlad? I have always assumed the former, but am seeing the latter quite a bit (not just here). Thanks. Also, do we have any juniors who can play the Jr. US OPen tourney? Just curious. thanks.

Name: Nayan Chaudhury
Website:
Referred by: Yahoo!
From: Calcutta
Time: 1999-07-17 04:42:21
Comments: hey Lee & Hesh, Maan , u both r truly the best team India has ever produced. I would also like to thank jaykay for maintaining this wonderful site. I make sure to log in at least once everyday. Anyway Lee, i think now u will concerntrate on your singles a bit as i'm sure that u r a Top 50 player. give it a push and see what happens. All Calcuttans r walking two feet above the ground since your wimbledon & french triumphs. U both sure managed to take our mind off kargil in a positive way. Ok way to go boys- US open is next-watch out woodies, blcks, Haarhius, etc -we have landed! yippee.

Name: Chris Jones
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Hong Kong
Time: 1999-07-16 10:49:44
Comments: If Saurav Ganguly is the Prince of Calcutta, Leander has got to be the King.

Name: Amsu
Website: Amsu's Homepage
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Boston
Time: 1999-07-14 15:20:16
Comments: Hey Leander, Mahesh, and Nirupama. When are you guys coming to boston??? I know there are a lot of us fans in Boston who'd love to see you guys play at Longwood. Hope to see you there someday soon!!! Also, thanks to Jay for the constant updates. have a good one! Amsu

Name: Indranil Sinha
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Orlando , Florida
Time: 1999-07-13 15:06:40
Comments: Congrats Leander & Mahesh for the most astounding performance by any Indians in the field of sports !!! Hope u keep up the good work for years to come and provide inspiration to the millions not only in India but to the countless fans of yours all across the world. Hey Leander .....this one is for you especially ....if u happen to read this ....I am also from Calcutta ..now residing in Orlando Florida ..... and live pretty close to where u live ...( I guess its bent pine drive ) Hope to meet you down there if had a few moments to spare !!! . I am looking forward with the rendevous with the greatest champion of Indian Sport! We are all so proud of you !!!! Wish u all the success in the future.......................................................................... Indranil Sinha e-mail : i_sinha@hotmail.com

Name: Indranil Sinha
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Orlando , Florida
Time: 1999-07-13 15:04:34
Comments: Congrats Leander & Mahesh for the most astounding performance by any Indians in the field of sports !!! Hope u keep up the good work for years to come and provide inspiration to the millions not only in India but to the countless fans of yours all across the world. Hey Leander .....this one is for you especially ....if u happen to read this ....I am also from Calcutta ..now residing in Orlando Florida ..... and live pretty close to where u live ...( I guess its bent pine drive ) Hope to meet you down there if had a few moments to spare !!! . I am looking forward with the rendevous with the greatest champion of Indian Sport! We are all so proud of you !!!! Wish u all the success in the future.......................................................................... Indranil Sinha e-mail : i_sinha@hotmail.com

Name: Indranil Sinha
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Orlando , Florida
Time: 1999-07-13 15:02:36
Comments: Congrats Leander & Mahesh for the most astounding performance by any Indians in the field of sports !!! Hope u keep up the good work for years to come and provide inspiration to the millions not only in India but to the countless fans of yours all across the world. Hey Leander .....this one is for you especially ....if u happen to read this ....I am also from Calcutta ..now residing in Orlando Florida ..... and live pretty close to where u live ...( I guess its bent pine drive ) Hope to meet you down there if had a few moments to spare !!! . I am looking forward with the rendevous with the greatest champion of Indian Sport! We are all so proud of you !!!! Wish u all the success in the future.......................................................................... Indranil Sinha e-mail : i_sinha@hotmail.com

Name: jb
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-07-13 13:26:36
Comments: ' LP-MB have won 15 of the 19 finals they have played. Leander has a 21-4 record in the finals he has played .. That is truly remarkable ..' .............-- also for example at Wimbledon they showed how they can fight and come back from behind. This has put at rest my speculation that 'all' Indian sportsmen lack the killer instinct. If the cricketers could adopt a similiar mindset, then they would become no 1 like the Indian Express. So as far as life after tennis is concerned they can become mind guru's (psycologists) of the Indian cricket team after retirement .

Name: jb
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-07-13 13:14:53
Comments: ' LP-MB have won 15 of the 19 finals they have played. Leander has a 21-4 record in the finals he has played .. That is truly remarkable ..' .............-- also for example at Wimbledon they showed how they can fight and come back from behind. This has put at rest my speculation that 'all' Indian sportsmen lack the killer instinct. If the cricketers could adopt a similiar mindset, then they would become no 1 like the Indian Express. So as far as life after tennis is concerned they can become mind guru's (psycologists) of the Indian cricket team after retirement .

Name: jb
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-07-13 12:58:11
Comments: ' LP-MB have won 15 of the 19 finals they have played. Leander has a 21-4 record in the finals he has played .. That is truly remarkable ..' .............-- also for example at Wimbledon they showed how they can fight and come back from behind. This has put at rest my speculation that 'all' Indian sportsmen lack the killer instinct. If the cricketers could adopt a similiar mindset, then they would become no 1 like the Indian Express. So as far as life after tennis is concerned they can become mind guru's (psycologists) of the Indian cricket team after retirement .

Name: jb
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-07-13 12:56:43
Comments: ' LP-MB have won 15 of the 19 finals they have played. Leander has a 21-4 record in the finals he has played .. That is truly remarkable ..' .............-- also for example at Wimbledon they showed how they can fight and come back from behind. This has put at rest my speculation that 'all' Indian sportsmen lack the killer instinct. If the cricketers could adopt a similiar mindset, then they would become no 1 like the Indian Express. So as far as life after tennis is concerned they can become mind guru's (psycologists) of the Indian cricket team after retirement .

Name: jb
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-07-13 12:53:09
Comments: ' LP-MB have won 15 of the 19 finals they have played. Leander has a 21-4 record in the finals he has played .. That is truly remarkable ..' .............-- also for example at Wimbledon they showed how they can fight and come back from behind. This has put at rest my speculation that 'all' Indian sportsmen lack the killer instinct. If the cricketers could adopt a similiar mindset, then they would become no 1 like the Indian express. So as far as life after tennis is concerned they can become mind guru's (psycologists) of the Indian cricket team after retirement .

Name: jb
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-07-13 12:53:11
Comments: ' LP-MB have won 15 of the 19 finals they have played. Leander has a 21-4 record in the finals he has played .. That is truly remarkable ..' .............-- also for example at Wimbledon they showed how they can fight and come back from behind. This has put at rest my speculation that 'all' Indian sportsmen lack the killer instinct. If the cricketers could adopt a similiar mindset, then they would become no 1 like the Indian express. So as far as life after tennis is concerned they can become mind guru's (psycologists) of the Indian cricket team after retirement .

Name: jb
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-07-13 12:52:08
Comments: ' LP-MB have won 15 of the 19 finals they have played. Leander has a 21-4 record in the finals he has played .. That is truly remarkable ..' .............-- also for example at Wimbledon they showed how they can fight and come back from behind. This has put at rest my speculation that 'all' Indian sportsmen lack the killer instinct. If the cricketers could adopt a similiar mindset, then they would become no 1 like the Indian express. So as far as life after tennis is concerned they can become mind guru's (psycologists) of the Indian cricket team after retirement .

Name: jb
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-07-12 11:41:56
Comments: Leander: Single at the French; Double at Wimbledon; TRIPLE at the US open !!

Name: Krishnan L Narayan
Website: Krishnan Narayan's Home Page
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Bangalore and Plano, Texas
Time: 1999-07-10 22:35:20
Comments: Mahesh and Leander, Congrats on a great win! I cant tell you how inspiring it is to see India winning two Wimbledon Grand Slam titles. This is more than just a simple milestone, it is a super achievement. May there be many more Slam titles to come! On another note, I think Leander had mentioned earlier that he is looking for a service coach. I can't think why Bob Carmichael can't help, but I do know that Dennis Ralston is an excellent service coach ( he learnt his skills from the famous Pancho Gonzalez). Dennis is almost 60 years old and I had the good fortune of playing an exhibition set with him a couple of years ago and even with 2 shoulder operations his serve is still awesome and flawless. He has the smoothest motion I have ever seen and casually clocks 110 mph, no sweat. Dennis can be contacted at the Broadmoor in Colorado; if you have problems contacting him please email me or call me at 972-335-1858. Best Regards, Prof

Name: HaCiEnDa Twins
Website: Los Chicos y Las Chicas venture into Goa
Referred by: Xoom
From: The University of Numerous Loquacious People
Time: 1999-07-10 20:40:31
Comments: hey lee and hesh: great job at wimbledon, so where are those pics from australia? btw, great wardrobe with the adidas guys!

Name: Jay
Website:
Referred by: Clicked on our Banner Advertisement
From:
Time: 1999-07-08 21:26:09
Comments: Congratulations to both of you. This has been one hell of a week for MB-LP. A couple of things for Jaykay:
1. The article in the Hindu about some misunderstandings. You had said that you do have a few thoughts and information on it. Can you elaborate, whenever you can find some time?
2. And, what is this famed "I" formation? I couldn't watch them play in Wimbledon. May be one of the fan club members could elaborate. "Together you both will stand tall and strong."

Name: skk
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: chicago,il
Time: 1999-07-07 15:21:40
Comments: I have been spending most of the last two days reading the various articles (thanks jay for putting all the articles together). Lets hope LP continues his winning ways in the singles. come on LP.

Name: Sonia
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Kerala
Time: 1999-07-07 13:53:16
Comments: Woo-hoo! 'nuff said!!!

Name: Lianne Rodricks
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Goa, residing in Muscat, Oman
Time: 1999-07-05 10:49:56
Comments: To our Dear Dynamic Doubles Duo, Make winning a habit, we love it as much as you do. It's great to be able to say: "When it comes to Doubles, Mixed or Mens India always wins!!!" Lianne

Name: P. J. George
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Singapore
Time: 1999-07-05 10:14:54
Comments: Congratulations to LP/MB for a magnificent display of stamina, guts and skill. Can we now hope for a US Open title for them to complete an unprecedented treble? Also, it would be nice if LP could spend some time honing his undoubted singles skills. He has the strokes and the physique - what seems to be lacking is the "killer" instinct and the strength of will to come from behind and win. He has the abilities to be a top ten singles player - definitely better than either Ramesh or Vijay in their heyday!

Name: Prasenjit K. Basu
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Singapore, via Calcutta (and Philadelphia)
Time: 1999-07-05 03:42:40
Comments: THANK YOU, Leander and Mahesh, and huge Congratulations for an absolutely glorious day on Sunday. If this is what you were saving your energy for, we were totally unjust in demanding any focus on singles. In the annals of Indian sport, there can be no individual achievement greater than what Leander achieved on the green grass of Wimbledon on Sunday. Prakash Padukone's All-England singles triumph, the 1975 hockey world cup, Geet Sethi and Michael Ferreira in billiards and the 1983 World Cup in cricket -- that is the sum total of India's world-beating performances in all sports over the past 3 decades. But to have won both the French Open and Wimbledon the same year (a feat that has not been achieved by any other doubles pair from anywhere in the world in the last decade, I think) is an absolutely magnificent achievement. To have done it with Mahesh nursing an injury is even more awesome: it certainly didn't show in Hesh's performances. And for Leander to have topped it off with another Wimbledon title in the Mixed Doubles is sweeter than the sweetest honey. Well done, Leander (words can hardly describe the joy we feel); the marker at the CC&FC 13 years ago was absolutely right (he had said to me that the kid who had special access to the grass courts--"ek din Wimbledon jeetega"), but even he could not have imagined that the kid would pull off a double triumph. I'm still reeling from the exhilaration of that one. WOW!

Name: Ken Paes
Website: Casa Tennis
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Canada
Time: 1999-07-05 02:25:17
Comments: Just received the news of the Phenominal feat, that Leander has just done "Wow". I just wanted to congratulate him on winning the Wimbeldon Doubles & Mixed Doubles Title. I also wanted to congratulate Mahesh on his efforts at Wimbeldon. I am looking forward to seeing you'll play in Montreal.

Name: Nizam Shaikh
Website: none
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Bay Area, CA
Time: 1999-07-05 01:14:05
Comments: Congrats and Thanks, guys!! I am sure you realize the fact you can only accomplish these things by staying together as a team and not letting petty things mess your mind. I hope you will remain a team and dominate the tennis circuit for a long time and keep that tri color flag flying up high in the tennis world.

Name: Dr. B. Bhushan Sharma, M.D.
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Oklahoma, USA
Time: 1999-07-05 00:05:57
Comments: CONGRATULATIONS to LP/MB!!! You have proved that you are the best on the clay and on the grass. A win at the US Open will show the world that you are the best on the hard courts also. To top everything, LP wins two doubles titles at the mecca of tennis - Wimbledon! If there is some problem between LP and MB then let us leave them alone and they will sort their own problems. Even in the best of marriages there are minor irritations that are sorted out by the couple. Let us rejoice in LP/MB victories and pray that the US Open title will be theirs also. And finally, what is wrong with being the number one player in the world in doubles and number 100 or so/number 200 or so (LP/MB rankings) in singles? The game of tennis has become more specialized than earlier, and I doubt if the likes of Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Rios, etc can become number one in doubles even they tried without affecting their singles ranking. LP and MB are professional players and they know what is best for them. So let us all, LP/MB fans, stop trying to give advice to the professional players about what they should do in tennis. Congratulations once again to LP/MB. You have made a lot of people proud.

Name: LpMbFan
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From:
Time: 1999-07-04 20:55:24
Comments: Absolutely amazing performance from LP - can't believe he actually played and won 6 matches in two days. In the company of MB/Lisa Raymond, he wriggled out of difficult situations so many times during the weekend. Radio wimbledon had live commentary on the mixed doubles final - it was very nice to hear the lavish praises from the British commentators. Unbelievable stamina and focus - brought back memories of that glorious weekend at Frejus five years back - only if this determination could carry over to his tottering singles career and give it some boost - may be Newport will be the start.............yours doubtfully, LpMbFan

Name: manimaran
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: singapore
Time: 1999-07-04 15:50:21
Comments: congrats mahesh&leander ....for winning at wimbledon! we salute u for your commitment to indian tennis and for carrying our hopes on your shoulders with majestic ease...what is next...US open? P.MANIMARAN Singapore

Name: Paresh Date
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: UK
Time: 1999-07-04 15:28:01
Comments: Congratulations, LP,MB for first Wimbledon title!

Name: skk
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: chicago,il
Time: 1999-07-02 21:22:40
Comments: Just at this moment, when I was rejoicing in the epic five set victory,came the news in 07/03/99 edition of HINDU,like a bolt of blue. The news is that there are ego clashes between the pair and all is not well, with both of them playing with different partners in stuggart and Losangeles. IF things come to a pause between the two, instead of being dejected and upset, we should take this opportunity to thank both LP-MB for their wonderful results in the past two-three years, which has brought joy to the millions of victory starved Indians. If they break up, it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, with both of them concentrating in singles and being highly successful. But lets hope that INDIAN EXPRESS continues to provide us with joy and happiness in the years to come.

Name: Prasenjit K. Basu
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: Singapore, via Calcutta and Philadephia
Time: 1999-07-02 19:23:27
Comments: Now that win over Lareau/O'Brien really did all of us fans proud. What a spectacular comeback. And a lot of the better teams have also been winnowed today -- Woodies, Bjorkman/Rafter, Stolle/Black -- so this appears to be a golden opportunity to add the Big W to their string of trophies. Their hunger to win is clearly second to none, and they are head and shoulders above everybody else as the best team in the world (after all, they've made the semis in 7 of the last 8 Grand Slams, the final in each of the last two including winning the last). I'm especially glad when they beat a team that includes Lareau: this, after all, was the man in whose company Leander reached the US Open doubles semi in 1994, before being promptly dropped as a partner. Thankfully, UTennessee discovered MB's talent for doubles, and LP was quick to capitalise on the potentialities a partnership with him would imply for the Davis Cup, etc. (Btw, do we know who MB's partner in the NCAA was? If I remember right, Chris Woodruff was also from UTennessee; was he MB's partner in the doubles too? Jay, any idea?) And, as I write, LP and Raymond are also a set up in the Mixed Doubles 2nd round (!); hope they get it over with soon, and the organisers don't force him to play yet another match today. The Hall of Fame title defense is looking more dicey by the day!

Name: prayag uppal
Website:
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: delaware
Time: 1999-07-01 06:52:37
Comments: This is just a random thought - based on MAhesh's and LEander's rather fragile bodies, I wish they would stop playing mixed doubles at these grand slams. I understand there is money to be made, but a mxd doubles title really is pretty pointless, and does not have much worth. I enjoy seeing Graf and Mac team up, but I almost wish they would scrap the mxd doubles competely. I think that less events for LEander and MAhesh would be good for avoiding injuries, and concentrating on doubles (I have all but given up on singles - sorry Jaykay!).

Name: Alex Carreteiro
Website:
Referred by: From a Friend
From: Brazil
Time: 1999-06-15 16:25:57
Comments: Fazal, congratulations for the good playing at the Satellites. We all here at Temple University wish you good luck in the next tournaments. Keep going C---LUDDIN!!! Hasta la vista, Alex.

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