US OPEN CELEBRATIONS

 The tennis duo of Leander Paes and Sania Mirza, who won the U.S. Open mixed doubles and doubles crowns, their 17th and fifth Major titles respectively, in the company of former singles World No. 1 Martina Hingis. It is easy to dismiss these victories as nothing extraordinary. In fact, it is true that doubles as a format is on life-support. The Bryan brothers are famous, but how many know the second-best team of Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer? On the women’s side it has taken the Williams sisters and now Hingis to give it a fillip. It is also true that singles players are the ones who have revolutionised tennis: like a Li Na in China or a Kei Nishikori in Japan. In the Indian context it is a potent argument to make, particularly when the country is struggling to produce top-100 singles players. As for mixed doubles, it rarely exists outside the Grand Slams.