India's most successful doubles pair is chasing an elusive Australian Open title this month after reuniting on the professional tour after nine years.
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won at Wimbledon and twice at the French Open between 1999 and 2001.
Both players have won the U.S. Open with different partners and are chasing a career grand slam by winning in Melbourne.
The 36-year-old Bhupathi says ''it will be romantic if we really win the Australian Open.''
''We've got enough chemistry on the court, enough maturity ... enough fight and will to win,'' said Bhupathi, who has won 11 doubles and mixed doubles grand slam titles. ''We are going to do everything we can, hopefully, and give it a good shot in Melbourne.''
Nicknamed the 'Indian Express', Paes and Bhupathi became the first pair in 1999 to reach the finals of all four grand slams in the same year in almost 50 years.
Although the last time the two played as a team in a grand slam was at the 2002 Australian Open, they have paired up subsequently when representing the country in Davis Cup, Asian Games and the Olympics.
They won the doubles gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games and reached the quarterfinals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics after both had earlier announced their intention to never play together again.
''I think part of the problem we had before was that we got so ahead of ourselves that we couldn't enjoy the process,'' said Paes, 37, who partnered Cara Black of Zimbabwe to the Wimbledon mixed doubles title last year for his 12th grand slam crown.
''Even when you are playing tennis, you don't want to think too much because the team is so solid in certain things we don't want to overthink things,'' Paes said. ''And that's something I am going to do this time ... Just take it one at a time and enjoy the moment. No point in looking too far ahead.''
Bhupathi earlier said the pair had not yet looked beyond the Australian Open.
''We'll see how we do there and take things from there,'' Bhupathi said. ''We were always good as a team and we have matured now as people. It's a big chance for both of us to complete a career slam and, if we feel we can still play a high level of tennis, we will play more events too.''
The Australian Open starts on Jan. 17.
