On Monday Leander Paes turns 40. In an interview to DNA, Paes reflects on a career spanning 30 years and the experiences that changed his perspective towards life. He says he is a blessed man. “I remember my childhood, the phase when I was growing up in Kolkata. I’d never have imagined that I’d get this far. Now, the Indian market has opened up. Multi-talented people are finding acceptance. It was different in 1986 when I embarked upon this journey as a 12-year-old. Back then, to be able to achieve excellence in tennis alone was a dream. To reach Wimbledon was a dream. And then to win it six times and play six Olympics...to be able to do movies...finish my first release...and now wait for my graphic novel that’s being edited...to carve out a career the way I’ve is indeed a blessing,” says Paes.
“And so many people have been involved in this journey. It’s them who I celebrate. My coach, my father, Sanjay Singh, Devvarman (Somdev), they have stood by me for 20 years, all through the thick and thin. Someone like you has been following my career since 1987. It’s for you guys that I enjoy playing,” he adds.
Remembering his Olympic bronze medal win at Atlanta Olympics, Paes says, “Atlanta was my greatest achievement because I’d worked for it the longest. I grew up seeing my dad’s (Dr Vece Paes) achievement. He was an Olympic medallist in 1972, and I always wanted my own medal. My achievements in the Olympics as well as in the Davis Cup gave me the greatest joys of my life. Yes I’ve beaten Pete Sampras, yes I’ve contested 30 Grand Slam finals, but none of them compares to the thrill of playing for the country.”
Meanwhile a report in Hindustan Times says that Paes doesn’t feel the age. “Wearing a trendy denims-and-black-shirt ensemble and the boyish grin and still fit he certainly doesn’t look the age. But a jog back to the memories at Wimbledon, which he first played in 1989 and took the juniors’ singles title in 1990, gives a sense of just how far he has travelled,” says the report.
Quoting Leander, the reports says, “It has been a long journey, no?” he considers. For a generation of Indian fans born post the 1980, Paes, like that mountain on the horizon, has been a constant on the sporting landscape. I left home when I was 12. Won Wimbledon in 1990, played my first Davis Cup match in 1990. Now that I think of it, I do really feel old! But there have been so many amazing memories along the way, and the memories are still so vivid; that’s what has kept me going.”
