Who can top Federer? 'Pan'tastic Paes, of course
Olympian and Indian tennis legend Leander Paes has taken Roger Federer's volley challenge a step further - with a different instrument and a unique twist.
Published : Apr 09, 2020 12:59 IST
If you thought Roger Federer's volley challenge looked hard, you haven't met Leander Paes. The Indian tennis legend took the Federer's social media challenge one step further - with a different instrument and a unique twist.
The 46-year-old swapped his tennis racquet for a frying pan and did it without looking at the ball!
Even though Paes is closing in on retirement, his enthusiasm remains strong as ever.
On Wednesday, Federer posted a ‘solo drill’ where he stood just inches from a wall and hit rapid forehand volleys for a minute without moving his feet.
The 38-year-old also asked his fans to send him their videos mimicking what he did.
Paes' challenge left several people in awe, including Mahesh Bhupathi, who shared a special partnership with him on the circuit. The 45-year-old replied to the ‘no look’ challenge saying: “Guy can volley with anything.”
Bhupathi also responded with his own effort with a twist - a smaller pan. We did spot him looking at the ball quite a bit though. He cheekily tweeted, "I tried your no-look, talking to the camera version but I don't have that kind of skill so I went down in size to a mini frying fan to make it challenging."
The men's and women's professional tours have been suspended until at least mid-July because of the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 1.3 million people have been confirmed infected by the coronavirus around the globe, and more than 75,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.