This day, that year: Paes-Bhupathi make history at French Open

NEW DELHI: The year 1999 was a special one for Indian tennis, for it saw the high of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi becoming the first Indian pair to win a Grand Slam.
On June 6, 1999 the duo clinched the doubles championship at the French Open by defeating the Croat-American pair of Goran Ivanisevic and Jeff Tarango in straight sets 6-2, 7-5 during a rain-hit tie at Roland Garros.
It was a big achievement for Paes and Bhupathi, who the previous year had made the semi-finals of three Grand Slam tournaments - the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open - and won a record eight events on the ATP tour.Earlier in the year they had lost to Patrick Rafter and Jonas Bjorkman in the final of the Australian Open.
"My first thought today was that all the hard work finally paid off. It hasn't been two weeks of hard work, it's been three or four years. Now we look to end the year as number one and win as many Grand Slams and tournaments as we can,” said Paes, who had won a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Added Bhupathi: “Our hard work paid off. It was not just two weeks but four years. Now we are greedy and want more.”