Leander Paes - For Whom Age Is Just A Number

Name: Leander Paes
Age: 43 years
Sport: Tennis
Event: Men's Doubles

Proficiency, consistency and longevity beyond belief
When he's on the tennis court, the Nation heaves a sigh of relief
He's a legend in every right, each and everyone says
He's the one and only, India's very own Leander Paes

Chants such as these are common from fans when Leander Paes turns up for his country on the tennis court.

The only man in history to play seven Olympics, Leander Paes is considered as one of the greatest doubles players of all time and will be playing the Men's Double at the Rio Olympics. Leander's list of achievements is unmatched:

-> 18 Grand Slam Titles
-> A career Grand Slam in Mixed Doubles
-> Bronze in the 1996 Olympics
-> 55 Career ATP titles
-> Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour,

When Leander won the 2016 French Open to complete a career slam in Mixed Doubles, he also became the oldest man to have won a Grand Slam title. But at 43, he doesn't believe his time is up.

"For me, it's just about playing, I play tennis because I am passionate about it. If I retire today, no one can say anything to me as I have achieved a lot. But age is just a number to me, I want to continue to play no matter if I am 30, 40 or 50 years old and I'm feeling great in terms of fitness and form ahead of Olympics."

Ahead of the Rio games, there was a lot of 'will he, won't he play?' But despite the initial question-marks on his participation at Rio, The All-India Tennis Association or AITA selected Paes as Rohan Bopanna's partner in Men's Doubles. Bopanna accepted and a controversy similar to the one ahead of the London Olympics in 2012 was averted.

But the big question now is- Will Paes manage to change the colour of his Olympic medal with a partner who didn't want to play with him in the first place, or will Team India overcome its internal differences for the sake of the Nation?