Leander Paes is ready to play his best in London Olympics
Leander Paes became a national hero when he won a bronze medal in singles at the 1996 Atlanta Games, breaking a 44-year drought of individual Olympic medals for India. Last month he made headlines when he threatened to pull out of the 2012 Olympics if paired with a junior player for the men's doubles event.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: July 20, 2012 06:22 PM IST
Leander Paes became a national hero when he won a bronze medal in singles at the 1996 Atlanta Games, breaking a 44-year drought of individual Olympic medals for India. Last month he made headlines when he threatened to pull out of the 2012 Olympics if paired with a junior player for the men's doubles event.
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Now with a week to go to the Olympics, in a candid interview Paes opens up about his love for tennis and says he is looking forward to playing for the nation with doubles partner Vishnu Vardhan and mixed doubles partner Sania Mirza, who called him a disgruntled stalwart of Indian tennis.
NDTV:You are off to your record 6th Olympic appearance. Do you still feel the excitement or nerves like you must have in your first Olympics?
Paes: I don't get nervous Sarah. I love playing tennis. The Olympics is something that I am very passionate about. I am a second generation Olympian. Going for my 6th Olympics is something I never dreamt of. Tennis has given me so much in life. It has been a great vehicle for me to bridge communities, a great opportunity for me to garner fans all over the world. This is my job. This is what I know how to do best, to go out there and entertain communities around the world is what I love doing.
NDTV: Your name was doing the rounds as the potential Indian flag bearer at the Olympics. I know you have done this before but it is an opportunity of a lifetime. So do you feel a twinge at missing out on being the flag bearer?
Paes: Because the Olympics come only once every four years it is only fair that other people also get a chance. I have already won a medal at the Olympics in singles. I have already been the flag bearer in the opening and closing ceremony. So I think it is really fair and I think that Wrestler Sushil Kumar is well deserving of it.
NDTV: Talking about handing over the Baton, It's not easy to partner a debutante especially at a stage like the Olympics. How has Vishnu been shaping up in the build up to the games?
Paes: I bought Vishnu over to the Wimbledon for the last four days of my mixed doubles campaign there. He had never been to Wimbledon before so I got him to come and stay there with me and practice on the grass courts there. He soaked in the atmosphere, the conditions there. Right now for the last 10 days he has been practicing with my coach Rick Leach  in California. I am really looking forward to playing with him. I was looking forward to playing with any player the selection committee chooses, whether it was Somdev, or Vishnu or anybody. Now that the team has been selected it is my job to go out there are play my game and heart out for the country
NDTV: Olympic selection committee member Jaidip Mukerjea has said chances of winning a Men's doubles medal at the Olympics are very remote. Do you agree?
Paes: I think everybody has his or her own opinions. I don't deal with other people's opinions. I know what it takes to win a medal. I know how much hard work it takes. I have won a medal before so long story short I don't delve into people's expectations, the negativities and the politics. I do what I do best which is to let my racket the talking.
NDTV: But considering you made the final of Wimbledon, maybe you have an edge going into the Mixed Doubles event, which is also the venue for the Olympics?
Paes: I have won a medal already in the singles. So to have a medal in the doubles or the mixed doubles would be my goal and would be phenomenal.
I have never been one to predict what will happen. To win a medal and a grand slam is a lot of hard work and it is a lifetime of perseverance. I have been very blessed to have a very supportive family and team. My celebrations of going to the Olympics for the 6th time are about my core team. I would not be who I am without them.
I have won the mixed doubles at Wimbledon playing with Lisa Raymond in the ad side to which I lost this year in the finals. I have won the mixed doubles with Martina Navratilova and with Cara Black. I have won it on the ad and the deuce side.
This year I was in the finals with Elena Vesnina on the Deuce side for me. At the end of the day, it does not matter which side you play. It is about playing great tennis. Who ever is on the team as long as they go out there and play great tennis. That's how you win.
The details will be worked out comfortably and for the best of the team. I am very happy to work with Vishnu and Sania on that. I am really looking forward to playing with Sania. I enjoyed playing with her at the Asian games in Doha. She is a great talent and has achieved a lot in her career.
For me regardless of which side I play, supporting the team and getting a medal is what is important. I don't concentrate on the periphery, the negatives and the positives. If it means I play on the deuce and Sania plays on the ad or Sania on the deuce and I play on the ad, that's what it will take. At the end of the day it is about the team and what it takes to play our best. I am really looking forward to playing with Sania and Vishnu and putting my best foot forward.
NDTV: You kept quiet during the entire row in Indian tennis. Were you hurt by everything that happened?
Paes: Yes I was hurt. Yes, I was very stressed but at the end of the day that is life, isn't it.
It was hard to go through Wimbledon and play day in and out. What you have to do as a professional athlete is to get away from all the negatives and the politics. I was able to do that well.
I was able to block out everything. It was in the news and on the TV everyday but you got to get away from all that and play hard and despite all that, we got to the finals and lost a really tough match 6-4 in the third set. I know how to play tennis. I know how to win a grand slam and Olympic medals. So I don't concentrate on that stuff. I concentrate on getting on the court and playing my best tennis. I know if I can play my best tennis, that is a really good opportunity to do really well.
NDTV: Could the entire issue have been handled better? By every body, including us in the media?
Paes: I can't blame the media. I can't blame anybody. I am not here to take the high road. All I know is that I am on my own journey. I have always been on my own journey since I was 6 years old. My parents have brought me up with certain ethics. My core team makes sure I stay grounded with those ethics. That's how I conduct myself. The world will judge me on my entire career, not just one Olympics. At the end of the day the history books speak for themselves. At the end of the day, how you conduct your self speaks for you.
For me, I love playing for my country. I am blessed for the parents and family I have and my core team.
NDTV: The Indian contingent this time is the largest ever for the Olympics. Do you think we can better the 3 medals from 2008?
Since I won my medal in 1996, the opportunities for sportsman in India have grown enormously. It is phenomenal to see such a large contingent go but at the same time the pressure is on the athletes to win.
At the end of the day it is not the size of the contingent you send, it is about how many medals you win. That is what I have been focusing on for the last two years as I have prepared for the Olympics. Going to win and going to participate is very different. For me it is great to have so many Indians participating but at the end of the day the whole country is going to judge us by how many medals we bring back.
NDTV: You have won 13 Grand Slam titles, more than any other Indian tennis player. What would you say your most precious possession is, the Olympic bronze you won in 1996?
Paes: The people I have got in my life, that are in my core group, the friendships, the solidarity that tennis has given me over the years. I love playing for trophies and grand slams but the best thing that I have earned, more than the happiness that a grand slam or an Olympics has given me is the people that I have in my life. I am thankful to tennis, and blessed to be able to wake up every morning trying to be the best athlete I can be, trying to be the best student of life I can be because of the people I am surrounded with.
NDTV: Thanks so much and all the best, make us all proud at the Olympics.