Sunday Interview - ‘My hunger for more glory is as strong as it was 25 years ago’

Scripting his name in history books is no new feat for Leander Paes. After winning his 16th Grand Slam title in Wimbledon recently, the 42-year-old is in no mood to slow down. In a chat with Deepika Das, Paes shares his experience of the latest honour with Martina Hingis, future plans, and the journey so far.

What does winning at Wimbledon at the age of 42 mean to you?

Every win is special, but coming out and playing like that in one of the most prestigious courts that we have grown up knowing, winning a title in a Grand Slam without losing a set, makes this really memorable. This title is also special because it’s come a quarter of a century after I won the junior boys title at Wimbledon. I remember, back then I was a little boy, all alone and only had my mother for company here. Since then a lot has changed around me, but not within me. My hunger for more glory is still as strong today as it was back then.

You have played and won Grand Slam titles with so many different partners. How do you manage to find “winning chemistry” again and again?

I have been very blessed to have so many wins on a big stage. Each partner has been unique in his/her own way. I have played with partners who have come straight out of college, so I had to nurture them. I have played with partners who have been some of the greatest names the game and I had to follow them. I think everyone left their unique mark on me, in the sense that whether we won or lost, I learnt something new from them. It has taught me to adapt to different situations and different people.

Who, among all the partners you’ve had, holds a special place in your heart?

In my mixed doubles partnerships Martina Hingis and Martina Navratilova are right at the top.

Describe the experience of playing with the two Martinas, both great athletes in their own way. What have you learnt from them?

To be able to play this game for so many years and play with two of the greatest female players is fantastic. They epitomise greatness, they are the greatest on this planet across any sport. What I love about them both is their passion for life, their ability to adapt. The champions that they are off the court is what I really respect.They are both the greatest female athletes that we have had in any sport. There are few other athletes in other sports that we can talk about, but in the game of tennis, both Navratilova and Hingis are right at the top. They are both champions of life. Navratilova is a serve and volleyer and Hingis probably has the best groundstrokes or return of serves I have ever seen. I still learn from her...

After a fifth Wimbledon title, what is your next target?

I would like to play my seventh Olympics at Rio in 2016. I think that is a realistic target for me.

Age doesn’t seem to have any effect on you. How long do you think you will continue at the top level?

I will keep playing as long as I am having fun and I am entertaining my fans. I am playing for my fans, family and team. It’s the love of my fans, the belief and support of my family and the hard work of the team around me that makes it possible to do what I do. This year I missed having my daughter Aiyana watch Wimbledon.

I’ve been fortunate to have been with my team for years, my yoga trainer and physiotherapist Sanjay Singh, my coaches Ricky Leach and Dave Herrman who take time away from their families to travel on the road and better my career. That’s my biggest achievement I think — to have great people around me and that’s why I am who I am.

What do you think about the future of tennis in India?

Earlier it used to be only me or two other guys. Now there are many others playing. But I still feel that to play at the top level you can easily differentiate between the best two players and everybody who is around 100 in the world rankings. I believe the number has grown and now we need to keep getting the quality better. Look how well we Indians have done at Wimbledon this year. Three titles... Sumit Nagal has done really well this Wimbledon.

How do you keep fit and what diet and training do you follow?

For me, sport and fitness are a way of life. I am fanatical about my fitness and healthy living. I don’t smoke, don’t take drugs or alcohol. I don’t need it. I know myself unbelievably well. I know my strengths and weaknesses. I find happiness in living healthy. I do strenuous weight workouts once or twice a week. I also do regular short sprints and reflex exercises. My routine comprises tennis training on court, core exercises in the evening, and recovery through massage and swimming. I follow no specific diet. I avoid red meat and consume nutritious food. My trainers say that I have an in-born speed.

Tell me about the major hurdles you have faced so far and how you overcame them?

I am going through the hardest time of my life right now. I am a very private person and tend to live by my values that are important to me. There is a line in Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “Meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same”. I know that life has its ups and downs and this phase too shall pass. What is important for me is the truth. I want to do the best I can as a father, as an athlete and a son.