Leander Paes: Indomitable icon of Tennis

Born to sportspersons Vece and Jennifer Paes in Kolkata on June 17, 1973, Leander Paes was educated at La Martiniere, Calcutta; Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School and St. Xavier’s College of the University of Calcutta. Having sports champions in the family gave young Leander, who began playing tennis at the age of 5, the right guidance, support, besides instilling in him discipline and passion for sport. In 1985, he joined the Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy in Madras (Chennai). In 1990, he won the Wimbledon Junior title and rose to number 1 in the junior world rankings. Paes turned professional in 1991.

Career

Launching his Davis Cup career in 1990 at the age of 16, Paes partnered Zeeshan Ali in the doubles to beat the Japanese duo in a gruelling five-set encounter. In 1992, he and Ramesh Krishnan reached the quarterfinal of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics doubles event. Four years later, he won a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, US, making him the first Indian to win an individual medal at the world’s biggest multi-sport spectacle since KD Jadhav won a bronze in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. He partnered with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in 1996. The Paes-Bhupathi duo reached the semi-finals of three Grand Slams – the Australian, French and US Opens – in 1998.

Rise to Fame

In 1999, Leander Paes along with Mahesh Bhupathi reached the finals of all the four Grand Slams, winning Wimbledon and the French Open, thus becoming the first Indian duo to win a Grand Slam tennis doubles title. They won the gold medal at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan. In 2015, Paes captured his seventh Grand Slam mixed doubles crown at the Australian Open in partnership with Martina Hingis. It was his 15th major crown overall and his third mixed doubles triumph at Melbourne Park. In 2016, Paes completed his career Grand Slam in mixed doubles tennis, winning the French Open with Hingis. His most memorable doubles partnerships were with Bhupathi, Hingis and Martina Navratilova, one of the most successful stars of women’s tennis. Over the years, he had partnered with over 120 different players in men’s doubles events and with 25 in mixed doubles competitions. He is famous for his enthusiastic spirit and exuberant victory celebrations which show his never say die spirit as a sportsman.

Awards & Achievements

The winner of eight Grand Slam men’s doubles in his career --- Australian Open (2012), French Open (1999, 2001, 2009), Wimbledon (1999), US Open (2006, 2009, 2013), Paes also clinched 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles - Australian Open (2003, 2010, 2015), French Open (2016), US Open (2008, 2015), and Wimbledon (1999, 2003, 2010 and 2015). Paes holds the record for the most Davis Cup doubles wins with 43 victories to surpass Italy’s Nicola Pietrangeli, who had 42 victories. He, along with Bhupathi, also held a record 24-match unbeaten streak. In 2009 and 2011, Paes was named the World Team Tennis Male Most Valuable Player.

Personal Life

Paes and model Rhea Pillai have a daughter Aiyana. In 2013, Paes was diagnosed with a parasitic brain infection but has recovered from it.

INTERESTING FACTS

1. India’s highest sports honours that were conferred on Leander Paes include the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (1996–97), Arjuna Award (1990), Padma Shri (2001) and the Padma Bhushan (2014).

2. Paes is the only tennis player to participate in seven Olympic Games (from 1992 to 2016). He was given the honour to carry the Tricolour for the 2000 Sydney Olympics opening ceremony.

3. Paes joined the Board of Directors of Olympic Gold Quest, co-founded by Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone to support talented Indian athletes to win medals at the Olympics.

4. Leander Paes’s father, Vece Paes, was member of the bronze medal-winning Indian hockey team at the 1972 Munich Olympics. His mother, Jennifer Paes, was equally accomplished as the captain of the Indian basketball team in the 1980 Asian Basketball Championship. He is also a direct descendant of the 19th century Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutta from his maternal side.

Sources: Wikipedia, Britannica.com, atptour.com