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Leander: Through his eyes
It is not possible to pinpoint just one thing that went wrong between me and Mahesh Bhupathi, says Leander Paes in an exclusive interview with S Kannan.
Leander Paes turns 32 next month. If anyone thought he had lost his appetite for competitive tennis, you had to be in Jaipur last week. The Indian tennis icon not only took on the responsibility of singles and doubles, but also played the role of captain to perfection.
And towards the end, Leander again showed he was not a showman but a team man, as he let Harsh Mankad play the fifth rubber against Uzbekistan, even though he was chasing a personal milestone.
Here he talks about the game and life beyond it.
You have been playing Davis Cup for 15 years now, how do you keep yourself motivated?
It was my dream to play for the country right from childhood. When I was young, I started with soccer. But as I grew up, dad (Vece Paes) wanted me to be in an individual sport. And ever since I got my break in 1990 and partnered Zeeshan Ali in doubles (1990), there has been no looking back. I think I was born for the Davis Cup and would like to play as long as I can.
In an era where self before nation is the mantra, what makes you so different?
I grew up watching Dad's Olympic bronze medal in the showcase at our Kolkata residence. I wanted a medal of my own and I knew if I kept pushing myself for the occasion while playing for the country, results would come in the Davis Cup, Asian Games and Olympics. Tennis today is all about chasing ranking points and corporate dollars. But for me, it was not just that. I have found huge inspiration each time I see the tri-colour and the national anthem played.
Tell us more about your young days…
Moving to Madras to join the Britannia Tennis Amritraj Academy in 1986 was a big decision. I was 13 when Dad decided I had to be away from home. It was not easy. To be in a residential academy was altogether new. The emphasis was on discipline and it was a tough grind. It was not just tennis, fitness and training, we also had to study.
Do you think it was good to have gone through it?
There can be no doubting that. Not only were the fundamentals drilled into us by our coaches David O'Meara and Chandra Sir (T Chandrasekhar), we were taught to develop our whole personality.
What was winning Junior Wimbledon like?
Wimbledon is very close to my heart. When I won junior Wimbledon beating Marcos Ondruska in 1990, it was a great feeling. Before me, Ramesh Krishnan had done it. Even though it was a junior title, a lot of people took notice of it.
The same year saw your Davis Cup debut...
Playing the Davis Cup doubles tie with Zeeshan in Chandigarh was a huge challenge. All of a sudden Naresh Sir (Naresh Kumar) told me I was going to play doubles. I knew it was a chance I had to grab. In the end, when we won 18-16 in the fifth set against Japan and people came to ask for my autograph, I had become somebody!
