The boys were back in town and it sure was nice to see them back where they belong-right on top. Who would have thought that they'd be in the thick of things after the way they've been plagued by injury and divisiveness. But that's what championship spirit is all about. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi were the cynosure of all eyes at last week's ATP Tour Doubles World Championship. It really didn't matter that they lost in the final to Pete Norval and Don Johnson. The fact that they made it to the finals was redemption enough for the pair who were unseeded at the beginning of the tournament. That they fought it out all the way to the final is testimony to the never-say-die spirit that seems to rest easily with them and should carry them on to greater heights in the near future.

If the rest of the dogs in the pound thought that they were giving them support then they better think again. It must be noted here that a tennis crowd is different from a cricket crowd, or at least should be. This basically means that when the point is being played there must be silence. Even before, when a player is about to serve the crowd must pipe down and stop moving around. Theatrics must be limited to the period in between points and games. Alas, the Bangalore crowd had no clue about the basics of sportsmanship. It must have been very off-putting for many of the non-Indian players who must have found it difficult to concentrate. Luckily for Johnson and Norval they'd already played the Indians and knew what to expect. Still, the boos and wolf-whistles while serving were totally uncalled for. Staring at the sun was hard enough, the crowd did not have to add to it. But then there have not been that many international tennis tournaments in Bangalore and the crowd is still on a learning curve. Maybe they ended up putting off Paes and Bhupathi who were totally outplayed in the end. Every dog barks in his own yard but please guys and gals, not in the middle of a point.  

It was very heartening to see Mahesh play like the true warrior that he is. He served incredibly well throughout the tournament and some of his returns of serve were sizzling. He's got to the level where he has this ability to raise his game to a higher level on the big points, something Boris Becker was able to do so well. It was also nice to see him smiling because he's got this infectious smile that must have really pumped up Leander because even though he was struggling with an injury he was able to raise his game as well. That's what being a great doubles team is all about, complimenting each other especially when one of you is down. Hats off to the boys for a valiant effort and for 'all the while doing it doggy style."(Famous Snoop Doggy Dogg Quote)

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