India’s iconic tennis player Leander Paes has bowed out of the Australian Open as he and his mixed doubles partner, Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko lost to the British-American pair of Jamie Murray and Bethanie Mattek-Sands on January 28 at Melbourne in the Mixed Doubles second round match.
This could well be the beginning of the end of his 31-year-long career in professional tennis as he had announced his retirement plans in December.
In town for the first Grand Slam of the annual tennis calendar, Paes spoke with select journalists about his journey so far and how he plans to spend his post-retirement life.
“The only dream that I ever had was to win an Olympic medal for my country,” he said when asked about his ambitions as a young boy who took to tennis.
In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Paes fulfilled his dream as he wore around his neck the Olympic bronze medal for India in the Men’s Singles category.
In addition, he has 18 Grand Slam titles to this credit, with eight in the Doubles and 10 in the Mixed Doubles categories.
The Tokyo Olympics this July will be his last outing to the four-yearly global mega sports event.
The only tennis player in the world to have competed in seven Olympics, Paes is also India’s only sportsperson to have achieved that feat, thanks to a long career.
But now that he’s staring at retirement, what will he miss about professional tennis and what he won’t?
“I’ll not miss the loneliness of tennis. Being in an individual sport, is so lonely. I can remember how many nights I’ve had dinner alone. What I will miss, is the locker room before the match,” said Paes, who intends to coach young players after he steps out of the professional circuit.
Having called Australia home for some time during his coaching, he fondly remembers his life and coaches in Sydney where he lived.
“The Aussies love hard work. They love people who put their heart out,” said Paes, fondly recalling his “family in Australia”.
Hailing from the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, Paes was born to parents who have represented India in international sporting events.
His father, Vece, was part of the team that won the bronze medal in the 1972 Munich Olympics, while his mother, Jennifer captained India’s women’s basketball team in Asian Games amongst other international sporting contests.
Click on the player at the top of the page to listen to Leander Paes in English.
