Leander Paes’ achievements — 18 Grand Slam crowns in doubles and mixed doubles and the men’s singles bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, apart from various other titles — are testimony to the hunger in the man. Even at the age of 43, and despite having had setbacks on and off the court, THE DESIRE FOR TITLES REMAINS.
At 43, Leander Paes has very little interest to display his game to the world. However, he is eager to play if he gets a partner who can stir up the positive energy in him, and in front of a crowd that brings out the Indian in him.
His achievements — 18 Grand Slam crowns in doubles and mixed doubles and the men’s singles bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics behind Andre Agassi (gold) and Sergi Bruguera (silver) when he was learning the ropes in the professional circuit in 1996, and various other titles — are testimony to the hunger in the man. The hunger still remains regardless of the odds stacked against him, and despite the constant negative vibes that would normally drive one away from the tennis court.
He was accused of being disinclined to prepare hard for the 2016 Olympics, blamed for landing just two days before the competition in Rio. But in fact, Leander had done remarkably well to prepare for his seventh Olympics by not only keeping his ranking at a respectable level by reaching the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles at the French Open but also by competing in the Challengers.
“I CALL THE CHALLENGERS the real trenches. It is where you see hungry athletes, fighting hard. They fight there not for a good life, but to survive. The spark comes from there,” said Paes in a chat with Sportstar during the Davis Cup tie against Spain in New Delhi.
It required a player like Saketh Myneni, an athlete with an open mind, willing to listen and learn, to bring out the positive side of Paes,as the spectators witnessed at the R. K. Khanna Stadium. The Olympic champions, Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez, had to be at the top of their game for more than three hours, to win a thriller against the Indian pair and seal the Davis Cup World Group berth for Spain, which eventually won the tie-5-0.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 1, 2016-Ausgabe von Sportstar.
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