Disappointed they might be after the second-round exit from Olympics but veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes said he and his unheralded Vishnu Vardhan played "one hell of a match" against the fancied French combination of Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in London.
Paes and Vardhan lost 6-7 (3) 6-4 4-6 to Tsonga and Llodra in the men's doubles second round last night in a gruelling contest that lasted over two hours.
Paes, who teamed up with Vardhan after being rejected by both Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna in a bitter selection row, lauded his inexperienced partner's fighting spirit.
"Being the first time that we have played together as a team, we've played a hell of a match again. Our first-round match was against some really tough opponents with one player No.33 in the world in singles (Robin Hasse) and the other No.21 in doubles (Jean-Julien Rojer), and we managed to beat them," Paes said.
"Today it was tougher. We had Tsonga who is No.5 in the world for singles and Llodra who is a multiple Grand Slam champion.
"I have to commend this guy Vishnu he's got a big heart and I've had such a thrill playing with him. He's a phenomenal competitor and he's got big stature as far as physique and things go and that is what champions are made of," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"I have to commend this guy Vishnu he's got a big heart and I've had such a thrill playing with him. He's a phenomenal competitor and he's got big stature as far as physique and things go and that is what champions are made of," he added.
{{/usCountry}}Paes said he was satisfied with the duo's performance despite an early exit.
"Today we came up one or two games short against a formidable French team, but I was just talking to Vish during the match and saying 'can you imagine a third or fourth match playing together?' We have a lot of firepower but there are still a few things that we have to improve on. We have a big game and I'm very happy about that," he said.