Punjab Marshalls' player, the legendary Greg Rusedski, Wednesday injured his foot and has been ruled out of the rest of the matches of the inaugural Champions Tennis League (CTL).
"It is very unfortunate that Rusedski had to pull out. It is a big loss for the team but our very own Leander Paes will be taking his place," team owner Gurpreet Singh said.
Paes will play Rusedski's singles, men's doubles with Somdev Devvarman and the mixed doubles with promising Spanish player Garbine Muguruza.
"I haven't played a singles match in a long time," Paes said.
"But being a serve and volley player, playing on faster courts is going to help me. Hopefully I can support my team and help them win a few sets."
Having lost the first match 19-25 to group toppers Delhi on Monday, the Marshalls are confident of getting back to winning ways when they enter the home stretch. The team will host Mumbai Thursday and Delhi Dreams Friday.
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"We have to overcome this adversity as a team," said Paes.
"We win or lose as a team. When we are on court, we play for the city. We play for the whole state of Punjab. This is our home court and hopefully with the home crowd behind us, we will be able to put these things behind."