 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Awesome to come back for my sixth Olympics: Paes
Leander Paes has done it all for Indian tennis in a career spanning more than two decades. He won an Olympic medal, countless Grand Slam trophies and guided the national team to some unbelievable victories in the Davis Cup.
But he was literally left to fend for himself and caught in the middle of a selection fiasco that nearly saw him pull out of the Olympic Games.
- London Olympics 2012 - Complete coverage
However, all that seems a thing of the past as Paes, participating in his sixth Olympics, looked as sharp as ever as he trained with his mixed doubles partner Sania Mirza at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
"It's really awesome to come back for my sixth Olympics," he said on Wednesday.
'I'm really comfortable here'
The Olympic Games will be played on the hallowed grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon.
The 39-year-old Paes has won 13 Grand Slams so far, including a bronze medal in the singles event at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
He has won four Grand Slams at Wimbledon, including one doubles and three mixed doubles trophies, his latest triumph coming two years back, in 2010.
"I'm really comfortable here. I have won five championships here," he replied, when asked how it feels playing at Wimbledon.
'At this point in time I'm here to celebrate with my family'
On turning down the offer to be the Indian flag-bearer at the opening ceremony at Games, on July 27, Paes said: "I don't think it's fair to give it to someone twice."
Paes will partner the lowly-ranked Vishnu Vardhan in the men's doubles after both Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi refused to play with him. Under pressure from all circles, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) fielded two teams in the men's doubles, but paired Paes with Sania in the mixed doubles, ahead of her regular partner Bhupathi.
Paes also refused to look beyond the present and talk about medals. He said he is content playing for his family and enjoying his time at the Olympics.
"At this point in time I'm here to celebrate with my family, as I play for my inner circle."