Tennis legend Leander Paes promises to keep playing till the next Olympics in 2012.
At 35, you would expect a professional tennis player to hang up his boots and do less strenuous things like coaching or giving commentaries for a living. But that would be applicable to an ordinary tennis player, not Leander Paes.
The flag-bearer of Indian tennis for more than 15 years wants to continue his playing career. Says Paes, “At the moment, I have no plans of retiring and want to keep going, hopefully, till the 2012 London Olympics, at the very least.”
Paes has a special relationship with the Olympics. It was in 1996 that he won a bronze medal there and rose to super-stardom. Followers of the game though, were aware of his exploits in the Davis Cup, and that he was the world number one junior champion in 1991. What followed the 1996 Olympics has been a roller coaster ride for Paes.
Though he rose to a career high of 73 in singles, he found his true calling in doubles. In 1996, he beat the then world number one Pete Sampras as well. But injuries started taking their toll and singles took a back seat for Paes in the following years. However, he continued playing singles in the Davis Cup for India. Paes then shifted his focus to the doubles in the international arena.
With Mahesh Bhupathi he forged a brilliant partnership, amassing three grand slam titles.Thus began one of the most feared doubles partnership in the game. Things, unfortunately, went wrong between the two, but they continued a career in tennis that was rewarding for both of them, albeit with different partners.
Paes has, so far, won eight Grand Slams in total, four each in doubles and mixed doubles. And he wants to keep on going. “As long as my mind and body are into the game and I enjoy playing, I will continue,” he adds.
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Recently, he was elected as vice president of the Bengal Tennis Association (BTA), and he remains hopeful of making a difference in his home state. “I would love to help young players coming from the state and hopefully my experience would come in handy for them.”
Though it’s not certain how he would be able to devote time to his post, he says that he would try to make a contribution in any way possible. Be it modern coaching methods or getting foreign coaches or just motivating youngsters, Paes wants to groom better tennis players for the future. “It’s my way of giving back to the sport from which I’ve got so much reward and recognition,” he says.
Talk to him about the future of Indian tennis and he sounds hopeful. “It is on the right track and things are much better than when I started out,” he says. “The future of Indian tennis looks bright but we need to continuously support it,” he says. According to him, players like Somadeva Varman, Kyra Shroff and Akash Wagh are some of the names to watch out for in the coming years.
Controversies have always followed Paes. If the fall-out with Bhupathi wasn’t unsettling enough, more recently, he had to step down as Davis Cup captain after his teammates refused to play under him. He just shrugs off the statement and says that he has always wanted to do the best for Indian tennis. “I have always played with my heart for the country and tried to meet expectations,” says the eight-time grand slam winner.
For the record, he holds the best Davis Cup career record for the country, with 83 wins and 31 losses. With retirement far from his thoughts, Paes will next be seen at the Chennai Open in January, 2009, with his doubles partner Lukas Douhly. “Playing in front of your home crowd is always special,” he says.
The 2012 London Olympics looks a long way off, but Paes wants to remain fit and participate in his sixth Olympics. For any sportsperson, retirement isn’t an easy decision. “When the motivation and desire is gone, I won’t stay for a minute longer on the court,” he says firmly. Most tennis fans will be hoping that he continues to enjoy the game till 2012 and, though it looks impossible, who knows, maybe Paes will defy the odds this time too. After all, that’s what he’s done all his professional life.