An evening in Chennai

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It was a nostalgic evening for the Indian tennis fraternity. The occasion was to felicitate Leander Paes for completing 20 long years in Davis Cup, the sport’s premier team event. No city would have been more appropriate for celebrating Leander’s success than Chennai as the multiple grand slam champion cut his tennis teeth here at the Britannia Amritraj Academy.

Former players such as Ramanathan Krishnan, Naresh Kumar, Ramesh Krishnan, Jaideep Mukerjea, S.P. Mishra and Akhtar Ali came on stage one after another to lavish praise on Leander on his longevity. “He is one of the greatest sportspersons India has ever produced,” said Ramanathan before comparing his feats with those of Viswanathan Anand and Sachin Tendulkar.

Naresh Kumar, who sprang a surprise by picking a 16-year-old Leander to partner Zeeshan Ali for the Davis Cup Asia Oceania tie against Japan in 1990, said Leander brought attitude to the Indian squad. “His entry made fresh horizons. Leander had a swagger and was a bundle of energy. His greatest strength was his unpredictability at the net. I can’t judge his movement on the court,” the noted coach added.

Next up was Jaideep. The former Davis Cupper from Kolkata recalled how a sleepy Leander almost missed a bus at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 before his Bronze medal show. Akhtar was the most emotional speaker. On the verge of breaking down, Akhtar praised Leander’s respect for coaches. “He has come a long way and enjoys a iconic status in India, but Leander never forgets the road he travelled,” he added.

The much-awaited testimonial was from Mahesh Bhupathi, the estranged partner of Leander. In his crisp speech, Mahesh proudly said to huge applause that no one knows Leander better than him. “We have spent a lot of days together since our junior career. We used to share a room. I always ended up sleeping on the floor, while he used to sleep on the bed,” he smiled, before adding that the he would always cherish trophies they won together. Mahesh, however, had to leave the hall with his fiancee Lara Dutta in the middle of the function.

Leander’s father Vece Paes took the gathering down memory lane. The former Indian hockey captain said his son was a brat and he had a tough time raising him. “He was crazy about football. He started kicking the ball even as a three-year old boy. You won’t believe, Lee used to sleep with a muddy football and a pair of boots in the bed. We were never allowed to remove them,” Vece, a doctor by profession, added.

An emotional Leander finally took centre stage. “I have come here determined not to shed tears, as I have already done enough,” he said before a long pause. Looking at a tri-colour that was pasted on the backdrop, Leander said “I will continue to play for the country as long as my legs carry me. I am sure I cannot play for the next 20 years, but I will always do my best for the country. I am proud to be an Indian Davis Cupper. And I thank all those who have been with me through this difficult journey,” he said, acknowledging T. Chandrasekaran, his first coach at BAT. He also recalled his career with humorous anecdotes including his “dates with Jaideep’s daughter”.

Amritraj brothers (Ashok and Vijay), who represented the country for more than a decade, were the conspicuous absentees in an otherwise comprehensive Indian tennis get-together.