What US Open victory means for Leander Paes
Living out of suitcases and working hard for a living on the tennis courts, Leander Paes has been at it for over 25 years. On Friday, at the Flushing Meadows in the Big Apple, it was not a workman but a 42-year-old genius with a racquet in hand on view as he teamed up with Martina Hingis to seal the US Open mixed doubles crown.
Ever since doubles tennis became a condensed form of the sport, there is a constant fight for the fringe players to make their living. Leander does not belong to that category of top singles players for whom raking in the money is easy. To earn one’s bread and butter through doubles is hard work and considering that he has had a mediocre run in 2015 in men's doubles, mixed doubles has put Leander in the spotlight with the 34-year-old "Swiss Miss".
Mixed doubles is just a sideshow at the four Grand Slams, but to win three out of four in one year is no mean feat. More so for a nation which struggles to produce top-100 players in singles, be it in the men’s or women’s section.
For those who missed the Leander-Hingis final against Sam Querrey and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, watching the replay is a must. In the super tiebreak in the third set, it was tense at 7-7.
An ordinary tennis pro would have thought of safety margins, but not Leander. He has played tennis all his life taking chances which may scare even an inveterate gambler in Las Vegas.
The champion came up with a super passing shot and closed out the match with an overhead before lifting Hingis in his arms.
They talk of chemistry, understanding, motivation, and spending time together as a doubles pair. Mixed doubles is not part of the weekly calendar. So for the extrovert Leander to mix with Hingis has not been difficult.
Just to jog the readers’ memory, when Leander had teamed up with the other Martina — Navrtilova — in 2003, he won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in the most unbelievable manner.
Navratilova had seen the whole gamut of celebrations on a tennis court, be it winning Grand Slam singles titles or women’s doubles titles. Yet, to come back out of retirement and forge a partnership with Leander in mixed doubles was special. It was almost like resetting the body clock and age chart.
Likewise, for Hingis, who the tennis world started calling "Swiss Miss" in the 1990s when she was a rage in singles, the new love for success in tennis has to do with two Indians who are part of her life today — Leander and Sania Mirza.
Nobody may care much for Hingis in laid-back Switzerland where Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka are big names. Hingis has come to India a few times, including a trip to Hyderabad after her Wimbledon triumphs.
It’s not about Leander alone wanting to excel with Hingis, it works the other way round as well. This is what doubles is about.
Hingis may not be relying on the pay cheques from Grand Slam wins in 2015 but for Leander, every dollar earned is important.
The big question is at 42 if Leander can do this with such passion, will he want to move away from the tennis courts one day? He knows the perimeter of a tennis court so well and comes up with such fine angles and against-all-odds performances that one cannot stop raving about it.
Leander knows tennis is not just his bread and butter, it's his life. He has tried his hand at Bollywood and so on but if he can preserve his body as he has done so beautifully till now, there is no reason why he cannot keep going on.
As one who has played with over 100 partners on the ATP Tour, with Hingis being his 24th mixed doubles partner, Leander knows how to generate the best out of his partners.
By his own admission, Leander may not have the technique or calibre of Hingis but he makes up for it with a stout heart and athleticism which at 42 is surely god-gifted.
Leander is like an old car which we want to own and keep running for sheer nostalgia and romance. From head to toe, literally, he has faced injuries, ailments and other crises. Yet, the passion for tennis and life at large, backed by a work ethic which has kept his body tuned so well, makes him India’s most durable athlete.
Statistics mean nothing when one talks about Leander. If one has to marvel at him, it should be for his longevity, his larger-than-life presence and positivity in life.
Handling a crack in his body or tear in his muscle or coming out of something as serious as tapeworm in the brain - confused to be a tumour initially - Leander has returned with a stronger will.
He keeps talking about wanting to represent the country at the Olympics again and again. At this rate, nobody can stop him from boarding the flight to Rio de Janeiro next year, though the sad part is he cannot have Hingis as his partner!