Mahesh Bhupathi gears up for French Open

A straight-set loss to the Bryan siblings must rankle - especially when it comes in the final of a Masters tournament. But Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles need not despair. There are plenty of opportunities ahead as the ATP Tour moves inexorably towards the second Grand Slam of the Year.

The Indian doubles specialist has a lot going for him. This is Bhupathi's best season-opening performance since 2004 when he and Fabrice Santoro of France annexed titles at Auckland and Dubai in the run-up to the French Open.

This time around, Bhupathi and Knowles laid claim to back-to-back titles at Memphis and Dubai without dropping a set, racing to number two in the ATP Doubles Race.

They won 14 of their last 15 matches - until they ran into the Bryan brothers. And it took just 53 minutes for the Americans to carve out an emphatic 6-2, 6-2 victory in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open.

So is winning the doubles crown at Roland Garros still on his wishlist for 2008?
"Of course it is," the 33-year-old Bhupathi told the Indian Tennis Blog.

It's not an impossible task. Bhupathi won on Parisian clay in 1999 and 2001 (both times with Leander Paes). And he may win again. It's just a question of peaking at the right time.