‘My body is in great shape, tennis muscle memory runs deep'

To measure the contribution of the inimitable, and irreplaceable, Leander Paes to Indian tennis, one just has to look at the success percentage of his 30-year Davis Cup career: an astounding 72.65 per cent (singles/doubles, on all surfaces). Also, the 1996 Olympic bronze medallist holds the Davis Cup world record of most wins: 45 (77.58 per cent) in 58 ties played. Still, the ageless Paes, who turned 47 on June 17, is not averse to continuing, postCovid shutdown. While cleaning his Mumbai apartment during the lockdown, he spoke to Qaiser Mohammad Ali in a free-wheeling interview. Excerpts:

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In 1989, Sachin Tendulkar made his Test debut and you played your first junior Grand Slam [Australian Open]. Sachin retired in 2013; not you. What keeps you going on?

I’ve tremendous respect for Sachin’s amazing feats. My main focus has been physical fitness. And because of the sport I play, it is so important, the physical attributes of a tennis player are so demanding that I had to focus on that. Having the genes I inherited is one thing; I had to work very hard to keep my fitness level high.

How is your body responding to tennis at 47?

My body is in great shape. I’ve worked tremendously hard since I was six, seven, or eight years old. I don’t think people realize how much hard work goes into winning one Grand Slam—let alone winning 18—and playing in one Olympics. Playing seven Olympics is a different ballgame.

You were to retire at the end of this season that you titled #OneLastRoar. But COVID paused it; the 2020 Olympics were postponed while India is to play Finland in the Davis Cup in September. Will you reconsider your retirement?

Oh, you can’t tell, because no one knows when the situation will become normal and regular tennis resume. There’s even a talk of the Olympics going to 2022. Once life comes back to normal, my team will evaluate whether I should continue. I’ve played for so many years, the tennis muscle memory is so deep. I think physically I’m very fit, strong; but to stay emotionally and mentally fit and happy is really the important part.

What goals did you set when you won the junior US Open in 1990, Wimbledon in 1991 aged 17 and became world No.1?