Sunday, July 17 2005 14:35 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: It appears India's tennis doubles star Mahesh Bhupathi is graduating to a new level, he is rolling out a tennis academy.

He has proposed to set the ball rolling in September by opening two Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy (MBTA) centres in Mumbai and one in Dehradun slated to commence on October 1, 2005.

And then, three more are in the pipeline -- one each in Hyderabad, Bangalore and probably in Salem, MBTA's Director (Operations) Sunil Yajaman told sources in Bangalore.

The initial phase would see MBTA tying up with existing tennis courts in these places to impart quality training.

Mahesh, fresh from his title win in the Wimbledon mixed doubles partnering France's Mary Pierce, is for sure to be the driving force behind the venture. He has left for Germany to play in the Stuttgart Open along with his new doubles partner Martin Damm of Czech Republic.

Yajaman, Honorary Director of All India Tennis Association's Coaches Education Programme, said MBTA would initially have a pool of 15 coaches ranging from assistant level to head level.

On an average, each MBTA centre is expected to have 150 wards but it may vary depending on the number of courts, added Yajaman, a former Development Officer at AITA.

Former Davis Cupper Gaurav Natekar is also in the scheme of thing, he would also be a Coach at MBTA centres imparting training tailor-made for entry-level, advanced and elite group.

Yajaman said the coaches would undergo training at 'Tennis Village' here run by Mahesh's father Krishna Bhupathi in order to ensure that there is uniformity in coaching method.