44-year-old Paes gives a hint about when he plans to retire from professional tennis.
Leander Paes on Saturday surpassed Italy's Nicola Pietrangeli to achieve a record 43rd win, which made him the most successful doubles player in the history of Davis Cup.
One of the first ones to congratulate Paes on his stupendous achievement was none other than cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. The Master Blaster, who himself enjoyed an incredibly long and successful career, said that the country is proud of his 'dear friend'.
"At this pace @leander will be unstoppable. Congratulations on becoming the most successful doubles player ever in #DavisCup history with 43 doubles win. India is proud of you my dear friend," wrote Sachin on Twitter.
Here's his tweet
Reacting to Sachin's high praise, Paes said he relishes the opportunity to motivate youngsters. Not just that, the 44-year-old also gave a hint about how long he intends to play professional tennis.
"Thanks Little Master! It is such a treat to motivate young India to create history. Half a century beckoning. Good luck to @mipaltan this season," Paes replied to Sachin.
Here's his tweet
Paes has 43 Davis Cup doubles wins now. If he intends to take that tally to 50, he will need to play for about four years more.
Praise pours in for Paes
What Paes has achieved by creating a Davis Cup world record on a 'phenomenal' day for Indian tennis is unlikely to be matched by anyone even in distant future, feels captain Mahesh Bhupathi and India's tennis fraternity endorsed the view.
"I am very excited that it has finally happened. It was always inevitable. Now an Indian holding the record is very special for our sport especially. I believe this record will stay very long," said non-playing captain Bhupathi.
Bhupathi's predecessor Anand Amritraj also hailed Paes for his longevity. "Great achievement by Leander to get the record of 43 doubles wins in Davis Cup. He deserves it, and it will probably never be surpassed. I'm glad our paths crossed more than 30 years ago and I was able to pick him for our BAT Academy. He has done our country proud and this was the crowning moment," Amritraj said.
(Inputs from PTI)
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 "Leander Paes (L) and Sachin Tendulkar")
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