Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes are two of the most successful men's doubles pairing on the circuit.

With 18 career titles, they come nowhere near the record of legendary Australian pair Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.

The "Woodies" won a remarkable 67 tournaments before Mark Woodforde retired last year.

But in 1999, the pair were dubbed the "Indian Express" after a golden season that took them to the top of the doubles rankings.

But a horrendous season followed in 2000, when they both suffered lengthy injuries and also split for a few weeks after row.

The root of the argument is murky, but it is believed to centre on differences over Bhupathi's coach Enrico Piperno.

Paes wanted his coach, the Australian Bob Carmichael, to take over coaching both of them. Bhupathi objected and the pair went their separate ways.

Paes insists the spat is in the past but says the main reason they spent most of the year apart was injury.

He said: "People called it a split but in reality, Mahesh had a bad shoulder injury which kept him out for seven months and then as soon as he came back, I broke my wrist and that kept me out for seven weeks."

The pair healed their injuries - and their differences - in time for the Sydney Olympics.

Paes, who was named sportsperson of the year by Indian magazine Sportstar in 1996, was even given the honour of carrying his country's flag into the stadium.

Though it was not a glorious reunion - they exited in the second round - they made amends in April when they bounced back to win their second French Open.