In the Indian sporting arena, if you think of passion for playing for the country, enthusiasm, fitness levels and involvement in his game, you would not struggle to find the only name that fits all these attributes. Leander Paes, even at 37, remains the same, as if he has only just begun playing tennis.
I would not list down his achievement over the past 20 years here. That is for everybody to see, especially the innumerable upsets that he has created in Davis Cup, and his exploits in Men’s Doubles with Mahesh Bhupathi. However, what set him apart from the others of his ilk are his indomitable spirit and his desire to excel in whatever he does.
I had read an article long back about the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, where India had a terrible outing. The Chef-de-Mission for India during those Games, the late Mr Ashok Ghosh, had said that Paes, who was only 19 that time, was the only Indian athlete who had self-belief and was showing passion on the field. This in itself was a tremendous certificate.
Leander has always given his best performances whenever he has played for India – Davis Cup, Olympics and Asian Games. It seemed that for most people Davis Cup put pressure on their shoulders, hindering them from a good performance. However, for Leander it put pressure under his shoulder, which propelled him to lift himself. At a time when Indian athletes were not known for their spirit, he inspired, and there lied his greatness. He is still playing extremely good tennis at the ATP circuit and continues to do India proud at the world stage. Youngsters have a lot to learn from him.
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