33-year-old with a mid-riff nowhere near as taut as it could be, nursing accumulated pains from 16 years of professional tennis in the age of the backbreaking hardcourt and with newfound joy as a father dulling his single-mindedness, just served us another ace.
New Delhi: A 33-year-old with a mid-riff nowhere near as taut as it could be, nursing accumulated pains from 16 years of professional tennis in the age of the backbreaking hardcourt and with newfound joy as a father dulling his single-mindedness, just served us another ace.
Leander Paes is a far different player from the whooping, strutting hustler that the tennis world learned how to contain but could never really figure out how to subdue. This is one jack that refuses to stay in the box. It’s no longer about those famed legs or those lunging retrievals — the muscles no longer have their spring.
The Leander enigma is all about tremendous strength of mind. “Leander was truly inspired by his relationship with Martina Navratilova. But to emulate her he has to stay fit. That will be the defining factor for how long he goes on. He has not sustained his fitness but he is still quick and is getting away with that,” says his mentor and father Dr Vece Paes.
“Leander keeps surprising me by getting past physical barriers. He is a natural athlete with intrinsic agility and balance but since the last couple of years he has been banking on his earlier hard work. His fitness is down by one-fourth of what it was.”
So it’s not the legs anymore. Then what? “A tremendously competitive nature. He enjoys challenges.”
All-time great Ramanathan Krishnan offers another insight: “Leander epitomises the proven theory that on court it is the non-tennis factors that really count over the years. Being gutsy, a shrewd tactician and doggedness of spirit has allowed Leander to overcome technical shortcomings.
Some get satisfied early enough but Leander’s strength lies in staying hungry.”
Ramesh Krishnan played against the best in the world. He rates Leander’s mental ability even beyond that of many all-time greats.
“In Davis Cup, we played under freezing conditions against New Zealand and China. Many would have baulked at risking injury but Leander showed just how much he loves to combat tough situations. With him there are no excuses, Leander’s got a mind that knows no fear — he’s not afraid to face up to anything,” says Ramesh.
The same courage has seen him take on an all-new partner whose profile is absolutely different from all the others before. Martin Damm, at 34, is older and for the first time Leander has a partner that can talk to him at his own level.
“The problem between Leander and Mahesh was about who is first among equals. Martin can take the role of senior player,” Vece says.
The clock keeps ticking but the winner of seven Grand Slam doubles titles seems to jump from flagging strength to another intrinsic one. How long can he go on? “Till the 2008 Olympics for sure as playing five Olympics is his cherished dream. Then, it will all boil down to fitness. He has Navratilova’s desire but is not fit in the way she is. If he can take the hurt of training, he will keep going,” adds Vece.
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