Bangalore, Dec. 15 :    Bangalore, Dec. 15:  Nothing succeeds like success, so the saying goes. If you can make winning a habit, lot of differences and problems can be swept under the carpet. This week, at the KSLTA Stadium here, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are on a high at the World Doubles Championship and no one's bothered about what happened in the past. The moment they start losing, tongues will wag and questions will be asked about the wisdom of their temporary separation earlier this year. As they come to grips with their new understanding, The Telegraph spoke to both of them to find out whether they have, indeed, buried the forgettable past. It's been a momentous week for the two Indians who have gone through a lot in the past two years, some of which was of their own making. Following are excerpts Q Is the worst behind you as far as personal differences are concerned? PAES Well, we are playing some good tennis this week and most importantly, we are playing as a team. We are doing what we should do on court: supporting each other, encouraging each other. That augurs well for both of us. BHUPATHI I'm really happy with the way we are playing here. We have always done well against the top teams but since we were in a really tough group, getting a win under our belt in our first match was crucial for both of us. It gave us the confidence and the belief that we are still good enough. Q But are you guys satisfied with the way you are gelling off court? PAES We have realised that we are different individuals and have our separate lives. We have decided to respect each other's sentiments and avoid stepping on the other's shoe. That way there will be no tension and misunderstandings can be minimised. BHUPATHI We are doing well on court and gradually getting back our understanding. That's what we should be concerned about. If you are talking of friendship, I don't want to put too much stress on that right now. Let such things develop naturally. Q Can you sustain your partnership if you remain aloof off court? PAES As long as we keep things simple and uncomplicated, there's no reason why we can't. It's a professional relationship and we have to nurture it like that. BHUPATHI We love playing with each other. As long as that remains the bottomline, we should stick together. Q Have you chalked out a plan for 2001? PAES We will sit down over this weekend and fix our schedule. As of now, we are playing the Gold Flake Open and Australian Open together in January. Q What about your coaches? PAES There's no change. Bob (Carmichael) will be with me for the year starting with Chennai. BHUPATHI I'll be working with Bob for 20 weeks next year. Rico (Piperno) will always be with me. Q Why two coaches, Mahesh? MAHESH I need both Bob and Rico. Bob can help the two of us get back to world No. 1. Rico has been with me for four years and done a good job. His presence has really helped me. I don't want to discontinue with him. Q Won't the presence of Piperno cause fresh problems? Have you discussed this issue with Leander? MAHESH I don't think I have to discuss this with Leander. Both of us are mature enough and realise that one can't question the other's personal decision. Q Leander, you had said in May that you won't be playing with Mahesh as long as Piperno was with him. Will you be comfortable now, with Piperno still around? PAES I had said that because I did face problems. But I realise it's Mahesh's life and I respect his decision. But I expect everyone concerned to make an effort not to repeat what happened in the past. There should not be any interference in my and Mahesh's relationship. Q One simple question: Will Paes and Bhupathi be playing together for the rest of their career? PAES We should, provided there is no complication resulting from external sources. BHUPATHI (smiling) I can't give you any guarantee. But, yes, I would love to play with him all through. Q Moving on to a different topic, there's been a great debate on ATP's role in promoting doubles. Does the decline in popularity (of doubles) worry you? PAES There's no doubt that doubles needs to be marketed better. Just consider this: the World Doubles Championship may not have been held at all if India hadn't shown interest. But I do believe there's a good market for doubles but the ATP has to tap it properly. More teams like the Woodies, the Flying Dutchmen (Eltingh-Haarhuis), the Indian Express (Paes-Bhupathi) need to be identified and pushed to the limelight. Ideally, players from the same country teaming up would help, like it has in our country. BHUPATHI It's not that doubles is getting a raw deal prizemoney-wise. But they are not making enough effort to promote it. In fact, they are trying to cut down on the volume. That's not a good sign. Q Can't the ATP force top singles players to compete in doubles too? PAES They can't and they shouldn't. I have been playing both events for some years now and let me tell you it's extremely taxing on the body. It's not humanly possible to play singles and doubles consistently week after week. Q Everyone blames the ATP but don't the players have a role in improving the stock of doubles? PAES We are always willing to extend a helping hand. For example, we had clinics here this week and interacted with kids urging them to take an interest in doubles. BHUPATHI We have been trying to do something. For example, there's this idea of appointing a manager to promote doubles all over the world. He or she can be paid to organise a separate doubles circuit. If the ATP is averse to the idea, we could have a completely separate doubles circuit.