The 10 greatest achievements of Mahesh Bhupathi's career

Mahesh Bhupathi has done more for Indian tennis than one can imagine. Bhupathi is also the first and the only Indian to complete a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles and also the first Indian to have won a Grand Slam title ever.Here are some of the greatest achievements of Mahesh Bhupathi:

#1 French Open - 1997

Before Bhupathi, India had never known what brilliant tennis was. In fact, Bhupathi is the pioneer of Indian tennis and this journey to the greatest success began way back in 1997. Partnering Rika Hiraki of Japan, Bhupathi won the French Open title. In fact, in 1997 between 1998, the Indian duo of Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes captured 12 ATP titles.

#2 French Open, Wimbledon, US Open - 1999

In 1999, Bhupathi and Paes won the French Open doubles title when the beat Goran Ivaniševi of Croatia and Jeff Tarango of United States in the final. They continued their success by wining the Wimbledon title weeks later. By doing so the duo became the first pair since 1952 to reach the final of all four Slams.

Bhupathi ended the year as World No. 1 in doubles. He also won the US Open mixed doubles title with Sugiyama.

#3 French Open - 2001

Bhupathi took time to recover from the injury that he had suffered in 1999 and returned with a bang in 2001. He once again partnered with Paes as they lifted the French Open title. It was a great return to tennis for Bhupathi as he won four ATP doubles titles in the year.

#4 Wimbledon and US Open - 2002

2002 was a great year for Bhupathi, as the Indian ace clinched one doubles and one mixed doubles Grand Slam title. He won the mixed doubles Wimbledon title pairing with Elena Likhovtseva of Russia and the men's doubles US Open title with Max Mirnyi.

In the same year, Bhupathi was conferred with Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards, for his excellence in tennis.

#5 Wimbledon and US Open - 2005

In 2005, Bhupathi paired with the French star Mary Pierce to win the Wimbledon crown. More success was in the path for Bhupathi as he partnered up with Daniela Hantuchova in the US Open. The pair won the title after a straight sets victory over Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonji.

#6 French Open - 2006

Bhupathi began 2006 with a cracking start as he teamed up with Martina Hingis to win the Australian Open in Melbourne. They entered the tournament as unseeded and wildcards. Bhupathi and Hingis defeated the sixth-seeded team of Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva, as the duo captured the title without dropping a single set.

With this title, Bhupathi completed his Career Grand Slam in mixed doubles. He also became the 8th male player in history to achieve the feat.

#7 Australian Open - 2009

In 2009, Bhupathi clinched the Australian Open mixed doubles title when he paired with fellow Indian Sania Mirza to beat Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram in the final.

In the doubles section, Bhupathi reached two Grand Slam finals with Mark Knowles. The pair finished runners up at the Australian Open and the US Open.

#8 2011 - Reunited with Paes

In 2011, the veteran Indian reunited with countryman Paes for the first time in 10 years, capturing 3 titles in 5 finals. He was also the runner-up at Australian Open where they lost to the Bryan brothers. The pair also won the title in Chennai, their first title together since Toronto in 2004.

#9 French Open - 2012

In 2012, Bhupathi and Sania Mirza clinched the mixed doubles French Open title. Partnering with countryman Rohan Bopanna, Bhupathi won the ATP Masters 1000 title in final and reached two other finals.

#10 IPTL - Bhupathi\'s brainchild

On May 25 2013, Mahesh Bhupathi announced the International Premier Tennis League in Paris. This is definitely Bhupathi’s biggest achievement outside the tennis court. The league played with an innovative format across Asia with the best players participating. It was a star-studded affair has gone down in the history of tennis as one of the most successful tennis spectacles.