Leander Paes

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Leander Paes is an Indian tennis player who is known for holding the record for the most doubles wins in the Davis Cup.His father belonged to Goa, and his mother was from Calcutta. His father was a member of the Indian hockey team in the 1972 Munich Olympics. His mother was the captain of the Indian basketball team in the 1980 Asian basketball championship. In an interview, he said that he always wanted to win Olympics just like his father did. He used to polish his fathers medal every Saturday, which he said were the best moments of his life. He also used to accompany his mother who was the coach of the National Basketball Team to matches, practice sessions and press conferences. In an interview, he talked about learning tennis from his parents and said, They say your parents are your first teachers and nothing truer has been said. My parents were my first gurus who taught me resilience, dedication and mental tenacity. For a small boy, who was taking on a path that wasnt very popularly tread in those times, these initial lessons changed the way I looked at life, both personally and professionally. Because I chose sport as my profession, the expectations and pressures of being my parents son was felt every day. Leander Paes as a youngster with his father.He started his career in 1985 after he took admission to the Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy in Madras (now Chennai) and received coaching from Dave OMeara. In an interview, he talked about his early years in Kolkata and said, I consider myself extremely lucky to have grown up in a city that was so passionate about sports and valued community living above anything else. In the early years, most of my sports experiences were either at school, or with my parents or at the various clubs that they were part of. But it was in the Maidans of Kolkata that I learnt the meaning of being a sports person in the truest sense of the word. Kolkata provided an amazing environment to nurture a young champion and it taught me the lessons of teamwork and community building. Leander Paes at the Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy.In 1990, at the age of seventeen, he won the Wimbledon Junior title and earned No. 1 in the junior world rankings. Leander Paes after winning Wimbledon Junior.In 1992, at the age of nineteen, he reached the quarter-finals of the doubles event in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Leander Paes at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.In 1996, he became the first Indian after KD Jadhav to win a bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. During this match, his wrist was severely injured. In an interview, he talked about playing the match even after the injury, and said, My right wrist was severely injured before coming into that match. Even the physiotherapist and doctors said I was taking a huge risk playing in that match, that I could jeopardise my entire career. I think as an athlete, the greatest thing for me was to win a medal for our people. Leander Paes with his Bronze Medal at Atlanta Olympics 1996.In the 1990s, Paes and Bhupathi were considered the most successful partnership duo. They reached the semi-final of three Grand Slams, the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open. In 1999, the duo became the first Indian duo to win a doubles event at a Grand Slam. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi holding the Wimbledon 1999 cup.In 2000, he got a chance to carry the Indian flag at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics. Leander Paes holding the Indian flag at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics.In 2003, it was suspected that he had a brain tumour after which he was admitted to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, but later, it was cleared that he had a brain infection. While he was recovering from a brain infection, he missed the US Open.In 2006, he won two gold medals in the mens doubles and mixed doubles at the Doha Asian Games. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi with their gold medals for Mens Doubles at the Doha Asian Games in Doha in 2006.