From The Archives: A car ride with Leander Paes, India’s brand new individual Olympic medallist

As Leander Paes turns 50, Sportstar revisits an interview with the tennis legend from 1996, done during a car ride between felicitations after he won the Olympic bronze in Atlanta.

(From left) Medal winners Sergi Bruguera of Spain (silver medal), Andre Agassi of United States (gold medal) and Leander Paes of India (bronze medal) at the podium during the presentation ceremony of the men’s singles tennis event at the Atlanta Olympics on August 4, 1996. | Photo Credit: Vino John

Leander Paes has taken us all through a riveting journey of his sporting career. Some of us have been lucky to see him play from his junior days. For a little bundle of energy, Leander has achieved phenomenal success with his Olympic bronze medal in Atlanta in 1996, and the multiple Grand Slam doubles titles. He has the heart of champion.

His return from Atlanta was an unforgettable experience as we stood at the airport. The media was in strength, with the television cameras. Everyone wanted a piece of Leander and he had to really run for his life.

He was on a short visit home. An interview looked impossible, but Dr. Vece Paes arranged for it spontaneously, acknowledging the consistently splendid role of Sportstar. We did the interview in a car as Leander moved from one felicitation to another. As always, Leander was razor sharp with his observations. It makes fascinating reading even today, after so many more Olympic medals by our champions!

India’s Leander Paes being greeted by his father Vece Paes (right) and All India Tennis Association President, R.K. Khanna after winning the bronze medal in the Atlanta Olympics ‘96. | Photo Credit: SANDEEP SAXENA

This piece was originally published in Sportstar’s August 31, 1996 edition.

When Leander Paes clutched the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, giving India the chance to see its national flag hoisted at the greatest stage in sports, it was not just the realisation of an individual dream, but the materialisation of a 44-year-old desire of an entire nation.

The fact that he is only the third Indian to win an individual medal in the 100 years of modern Olympic history reveals the magnitude of the achievement, which should serve as the springboard of inspiration for the younger generation. In short, Leander has set a standard, and provided a peak for people to scale.

Leander, himself, would of course be attempting to better his performance in the coming years, for he believes in marching ahead. It is another matter, the younger generation may be tempted to imitate him by wearing diamond studs on their ears, as Leander has done recently, instead of aping his qualities oh the tennis court.

Yet, one can only hope that the greatest achievement for many years in Indian sporting history would pave the way for further such deeds in the near future. Incidentally, the diamond stud on his left ear, acquired during Wimbledon this year, seems to have influenced the fortunes of Leander dramatically. He reached the semifinals of an ATP tournament for the first time when he made the grade in the Hall of Fame tournament on grass at Newport in July, and then more recently has gone through one of the brightest phases of his career at the Olympics where he had a dream run against all odds.

Flipping through the pages of time in The Sportstar, one is fascinated to find how a kid with a burning desire for success has so wonderfully matured into a man and is marching ahead with the promise of conquering higher peaks.

When Leander returned from Atlanta for a brief stopover to accept the congratulations and blessings of a success-starved nation, he was virtually on the move all the time, meeting people right from the President to the common man. For, everyone wanted to see him, shake hands with him and hold the cherished bronze medal in their hands. Yet, when it came to sparing a few minutes for the sake of the dear readers of The Sportstar, there was no reluctance on the part of Leander, whose programme, as usual, was meticulously monitored by his father Dr. Vece Paes. However, one thing was for sure. You were not going to sit m one place and chat with him. It had to be on the move.

It was in a way better, as one got to see a few interesting reactions.

One that stayed in the mind was the manner in which a man kept honking till he drew Leander’s attention. Leander, looking through the back pane of his car, waved at him. The man grinned and came up with a thumbs up sign. Leander turned in the car and said, “Things like this make you feel proud of what you are doing.” At a traffic signal the man caught up with Leander who rolled down the windowpane for a chat. The conversation went like this: “Great show man. How are you doing. Remember I met you at Frankfurt,” the man said. “Of course, I do. How are you keeping?” Leander replied cheerfully. “I hope you get a wildcard for the U.S. Open man. Take care,” said the man. Leander thanked him and rolled up the windowpane as the car started moving.

It was indeed a spontaneous reaction of a sports fan who was so keen to have a word with Leander despite the tension of negotiating the Delhi traffic. If only people took to sports as spontaneously, and kept stoking the fire lit by Leander with his magnificent deed, we may not have to wait for another 44 years for an individual medal.

Over to Leander:

Question: How was the feeling when you were on the victory podium along with Andre Agassi and Sergi Bruguera?

Answer: First of all on the victory podium it was very special, you know. I mean, it was something I had dreamed of ever since I was a kid that is to get a medal for myself. And when I was finally on the victory podium, I was standing there with Agassi who was congratulating us. Bruguera and myself felt so proud. The feeling was that all the hard work I had put in as a kid was finally paying off. I am really happy about that.

(L-R) Sergi Bruguera of Spain wins silver, Andre Agassi of the USA wins gold and Leander Paes of India wins bronze in the men’s singles tennis event at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia on August 3, 1996. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Q: You must have been quite pleased about carrying the national flag at the closing ceremony.

A: Yes, I was. Ever since I went to my first Asian Games in Beijing, I always felt that I would love to carry the national flag. I said it was something for me to work for. I haven’t done it in the Asian Games and was doing it straight in the Olympics, and it was great. I had goose bumps right through the march.

Q: There is an opinion that it is your strong feelings of patriotism that help you overcome your limitations as a player. To what would you attribute your success at Atlanta?

A: Mainly to effort. I have grown a lot as a player. I am a lot more mature. I have become stronger. I have become a lot more aggressive with certain shots, like my serve and my forehand. The main thing has been that right through the Atlanta Games I was able to handle the humidity and the heat, and give consistent effort day after day.

Leander Paes of India stands on the podium after winning a bronze medal in the men’s singles tennis event at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia on August 3, 1996. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Q: What percentage would you credit your patriotism for making it memorable at Atlanta?

A: A lot. About 50 per cent.

Q: In your view, how big is this achievement of winning a medal at the Olympics?

A: Personally it was one of my dreams. Something I wanted. I wanted my own medal, since my dad hadv won one in 1972 as a member of the hockey team. As far as India is concerned, to be honest, I didn’t realise how big it was till I came here to India. I didn’t know that it is such a big thing.

Q: Has the magnitude of the achievement sunk in after coming here?

A: It is happening slowly. All the kids there (Delhi Tennis Association) made me feel so proud. They came to me and said, “Leander we love you.” It is something when a kid comes to you and says, “You are my No. 1.” It is something you have done in life. Wow, such big statements from kids. Coming from their hearts.

The President, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, felicitates tennis ace Leander Paes, India’s lone medal winner at the just-ended Atlanta Olympics, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on August 08, 1996. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

Q: How do you compare this achievement to your fine victories in the Davis Cup?

A: I think this should be one of the highlights of my career. Sure. No other Indian tennis player has ever got a medal in the Olympics. At the same time an individual has not got an Olympic medal for a long, long time. So it is a record. It is a standard that I have just set. And it is something I am looking to better and every Indian athlete would look forward to better.

Q: What sort of an impact do you expect in India, both on tennis and sports in general, from this achievement?

A: Really, to be honest, I didn’t know what to expect when I came back to India. Now, on coming back here and seeing how everyone is enthusiastic and thrilled about the occasion, I feel the impact. I mean the number of kids there were (at the DTA) today. That is one city and one club. Imagine the whole country. Even when I go to Calcutta, it is only another city. All over the country no matter whether it is Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, wherever, you know it is all one and the same thing. But we need to get lots of kids playing not only tennis but all other sports. We need to get a system in sports, to produce champions.

Leander Paes leading the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony of the Olympics at Sydney. | Photo Credit: VINO JOHN

Q: Do you think the experience of seeing you on television, playing some of the best players of the world and winning a precious medal, would inspire the rest of the sporting fraternity and provide tremendous thrust for Indian sports? 

A: For sure, the biggest thrill I have is that I know that the matches were shown on television and all those kids would have watched. I am very honest with my emotions on TV. I am very honest with my emotions on how I play. They know me as a person and how I am reacting. They would have actually felt the electricity that was going through me that night.

Q: How do you plan to capitalise on this great performance in nurturing your career to greater heights?

A: It has given me a lot of confidence, in terms of knowing that I can play the top ranked players. It has given me a lot of confidence, knowing that I can play five to six matches in a row. The Olympic format was the Grand Slam format. We played one day and had the next day off. But in the period that I was supposed to have off, I was playing the doubles. I got used to the format and I really liked it. I looked after myself and prepared well for the next day’s match. So I was happy with the whole experience and am sure it would help me in shaping my career better.

Q: Do you expect adequate financial rewards to match the achievement to help you have better professional support, like having a travelling coach?

A: My immediate aim is to have support for my trainer who is travelling with me. Then support for a coach who can travel with me for a few weeks in a year. That is very expensive. That is the main thing I am looking at now. I am not looking to make money out of the achievement. I want to put it all back into my tennis, for the betterment of myself as a player. To get some professional support for myself.

Q: Are there indications that there would be sufficient support to take care of your needs?

A: The way people are responding, with the achievement being very fresh in their minds, it is very good. But at the same time one has to wait and see as to how long this would sustain. And how truly the promises materialise. It is one thing talking about a thing and another to actually do it.

Leander with his father Dr. Vece Paes, a former Olympic medallist himself.

Q: How did you prepare yourself after seeing a rather intimidating draw? 

A: The first thing I have learnt to do is worry about today. To look after today. Whatever happens tomorrow can be looked after later. But if I don’t win today’s match and look after myself today, there is no tomorrow. So, what I was good at in the whole Olympics, and in the last year or two has been that I was always looking at the present. I had a close match with Richey Reneberg. I had a chance to lose that match. I won the second set 7-6 and 1 was up 1-0 in the third when he retired. That was my first match. Then, there was Nicolas Pereira. I was comfortable playing him. After having lost to him in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame tournament, it was nice to beat him in straight sets. Next there was Thomas Enqvist. I didn’t get agitated seeing his name and the fact that he was a top 10 player. I had played him a few times and our scores were even. It was tied, the head to head. I knew that we had played some great matches. Now I have got the lead by one match.

Q: After beating Enqvist, the very confidence seemed to have powered you past Renzo Furlan in the next round. But the draw was unkind to you in the doubles. Yet, you managed to take a set off the Woodies, the world’s top pair, in the second round. Your comments.

A: See, Mahesh and myself have been playing good doubles together. I mean we are a team and if we mature, like if I work on certain things and Mahesh works on certain other things, it would be to the betterment of the team. If both of us work on our doubles game we are going to be a very high class team. But at this moment you can only see the talent. You can see the combination working well. It is still a combination that is yet to mature. Hence, I am really looking forward to the maturing of myself and Mahesh as a pair, and faring well not only in the Davis Cup but in the Tour circuit as well. Playing the Woodies, we were up a set and then in the second game of the second set we had a chance to break. Todd Woodbridge was serving 15-40 and we didn’t get that game. From there we went down. They played really well. And they won the gold. Things like that... you have to be proud of at times. Of course, you can’t be satisfied with such performances. You have to work harder and try to beat them the next time.

Q: What was the feeling when you missed those set points with your errors in the semifinal against Andre Agassi?

A: I was not agitated. I had so much fun playing Agassi. Yet, when you are playing someone of Agassi’s stature you are forced to do things so much more perfectly. You are forced to hit the line or as close to the line as possible. And that was my mistake! Rather than giving the shot the margin of error, like playing a good two feet inside the baseline and two feet inside the sideline and let him hit the pass. If he does it, fair enough. That is what I did at 30-40 but at 15-40 I missed the approach itself. That was something that really hurt me.

India’s Leander Paes (left) goes up to the net to congratulate Andre Agassi of the United States after the latter won the men’s tennis singles semifinals.

Q: Every opponent was better ranked than you, but which match did you feel was the toughest?

A: The last match! It was more mental than anything else. I had to overcome the tension of playing for a medal in the Olympics. I was not playing my best tennis, he also was not. But I hung in there, he didn’t. It was like a fifth match in a Davis Cup, to really overcome the occasion and produce the best. Whoever played better was going to win. And whoever handled it better mentally was going to play better.

Q: You must have felt more pressure in that match for the third place against Fernando Meligeni than any of those fifth rubbers in Davis Cup.

A: Yes, for sure. I mean you don’t play for a medal in the Olympics too often. Jesus me, it is over! It was really a big occasion.

Q: What did you tell yourself as to what you should and should not while playing for the bronze medal?

A: The biggest thing I had to focus on was playing tennis and being me. That is something I lost in the first set. I was feeling like somebody different. I was trying to be perfect. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be yourself. So, I had to be myself. That would be good enough on some days. And may be not good enough some other days. But that is all I can do. Then, at least I would have the satisfaction that I played to my capacity.

Q: What do you feel is the reason for our inability to win an Olympic medal for such a long time despite the large population. Are our sportsmen not honest enough to work hard or are they not getting sufficient support?

A: The main thing I am looking at is the sports system. Not even in one sport in India, other than cricket, do we have a system. I mean cricket has a system in every single state, in schools, in colleges. From schools and colleges they can go to clubs, and from there they can go to the state. From state they can go for national level competition and from there to represent the country. It is a real good system they have. Many of the past players take interest in the game. There is sponsorship. The money is also used in the right way. Simply, the system is good. In India we have a tennis tradition, but we are getting one player every 10 years or so. We don’t have an effective system. That is missing. It is something I have tried to change ever since I started playing for the country. To build a system of payments, build a system of equality within the team, build a system of being together and at the same time build a structure so that young players can come up through the ranks. Unfortunately, at this moment of time I don’t see systematic training and development of talent. Nor do I see the former players creating a system so that players can come out of that. Right now in tennis we have got Ramesh who has opened his academy. The Amritraj academy is there and there is Nandan Bal’s centre. Jaideep Mukherjea, Akhtar Ali and Enrico Piperno have their coaching camps every now and then. DHAITA has been there for sometime. But there is no continuity. It hurts me that I can’t do anything now. I have to be the best that I can be at this juncture in my career, to be able to guide someone in the future. If I stop now and try to help the kids, I won’t know how to take them beyond a point. I need to really concentrate on myself now. Maybe seven years down the road I can start helping them out. If such is the situation in tennis which is supposed to have progressed considerably in India, one can well imagine the situation in other sports. Look at the simple point of how many astro-turfs we have in India. Another simple question. Do they play much soccer around the country? I mean, at what level do they play? It just goes on. There is no end to it.

Leander Paes (right) and Enrico Piperno, in a happy mood during the Four Square Masters tennis tournament in New Delhi on October 20, 1990. | Photo Credit: SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH

Q: Your clever play of chip and charge has been quite effective, especially on grass. But how much have you worked on improving your strokes like the backhand drive?

A: That is all I am concentrating on now. Trying to be the best that I can be, and improve on different aspects every few months. My chip and charge has improved my patience. In terms of not trying to do too much with the ball, but making the opponent try and beat me. At the same time, I have been improving my serve and my forehand, because these two could be my strengths. My serve was not deemed powerful in the past. Now, if you see the statistics, my service is great and the percentage has gone up from 50 per cent to about 65 to 80 per cent. My forehand was a weapon when I was a junior. I lost it for a while, more because of the attitude. I wasn’t being aggressive with my forehand. I was just looking to play it.

Q: In the match against Agassi you smashed two forehands in the end, that caught him standing beyond the baseline at one corner!

A: Yes, that was great. I was playing freely. You have to be aggressive and hit the ball, and not be hesitant. When you play Agassi, the game is too fast. You don’t have time to think your stroke. You have to pre-plan and hit it, boom!

Q: At the Hall of Fame tournament, your backhand, which had generally been found weak, was reported to be working fine.

A: Yes, but it was the forehand that was brilliant. My backhand was very solid on grass, but with my forehand I was hitting winners left, right and centre!

Q: That was your first ATP Tour semifinal. That performance must also be helping you to keep your morale high, like your rich fare at the Olympics.

A: I have been playing really well in the past couple of months. Training hard. Having fun on the Tour. I have been having fun on the courts playing matches. Basically, it is a system that I have found and I like. I like to be on the court, I like to be at the gym working out after my matches. I am having fun playing the style of game I am playing right now. It is something I am going to cling on to with all my heart. And try and play the best I can. 

Leander Paes, bends low for a backhand return to opponent Byron Black, of Zimbabwe, during their quarter-final match at the hall of fame Tennis Championships in New Port on July 13, 1996. | Photo Credit: AP/PTI

Q: The extended 29-inch racquet has also apparently played a vital role in adding vigour to your game.

A: Right now I am deriving maximum advantage from the extended racquet. Earlier, even when I was using the extended racquet my toss was not high enough to extract full benefit from it. Now I am tossing a good few inches higher than what the original toss was. I am now making real use of the racquet, and there is scope for deriving further benefit from it.

Q: For a man of your talent and hunger for success, not to forget your sincere training and systematic approach, why is that you have not been able to break into the top 100 as yet?

A: I have been asking this question to myself. Only in recent years have I started building my system. It took me a long time to realise that I needed a system. In the juniors I had a system and then I came away from it, because of not having a system in tennis in terms of the national association and past players not channelising their effort to making a champion out of me. I had to build my own system, and it took me a long time. But now that I have found what I need to do, you know, I am really happy and I need to follow it on a day to day basis. I am confident that I will shortly break into the top 100.

Q: It must be frustrating to jump a few places and fall a few steps every now and then.

A: It is. But, it was more the way it went this week, that I fell from 126 to 150. It was difficult to keep track of the two sets of rules that the ATP and the ITF have. It all should be under one roof and one rule, making it simple for the players. Obviously both the ATP and ITF are there to help the players. It is really sad to be penalised even though I tried to help the tournament, help the ATP in terms of saving its name. Rather than pull out at the last minute when I get to the tournament, I did so before time. It is really sad that they were selfish and looked after themselves. I was penalised for being honest.

Q: Yes, that was unfortunate. But apart from this week how has it been shuttling up and down in the rankings?

A: In the last year or so I have been ranked between 111 and 150. You need 200 points to break into the top 100. At the same time, if you lost about another 200 points (that you had to defend) your ranking goes down. That is something really tough. This is the most crucial period of my career, to try on the Tour and break through. No matter how much bad luck, I have to overcome them and keep fighting hard and working hard. I will overcome them at some point of time. Once I move into the next stage it will be a little more easy, but to get there is difficult.

Q: The true nature of the synthetic surface was not supposed to suit your style of play. How have you managed to overcome the problems both physically and mentally?

A: You have to learn, you have to mature. Since a lot of tennis is played on this surface, you have to get used to playing on the hardcourts. I have adapted my game to the synthetic surface in terms of having a sound strategy too.

Leander Paes, India’s only medal winner in Atlanta Olympic Games cutting a cake at DLTA Stadium in New Delhi on August 08, 1996. DLTA felicitated Leander Paes at a function. | Photo Credit: PTI

Q: It must be disappointing not to be making the main draw of the Grand Slam tournaments, where one good run would push you up considerably both in rankings and confidence. 

A: I am playing some good tennis right now. I need one good week to push my ranking so that I can get into the main draw of a Grand Slam. So, that is my real goal right now. Olympics was a big event and I had a good result. If I have another good result like it or like I had at Newport I am going to be in the top 100. That is for sure. That is something I am looking forward to right now.

Q: You had your chances against Mark Petchey at Wimbledon when you made it as a lucky loser. What stopped you from pulling it off? It did not seem that Petchey’s game was that big a hurdle.

A: Petchey didn’t play great. He was playing scratchily. Basically, I had a chance to win the second set. In the fourth I had a chance to even the match. I could not do it. It was the first match. Sometimes you win those matches, sometimes you don’t. I will try to win such matches more often in the future.

Q: Maybe it is a matter of winning one round in a Grand Slam to start with, so that you can focus yourself for further challenge.

A: Basically it is a matter of winning. The more you win the more you will know the feeling. The more you know how to win, you get the experience. It is a matter of me taking every week for what it is worth. Keeping on enjoying the feeling. As long as I enjoy the feeling I know I will keep learning how to win. That is something I am really looking at right now.

Q: Coming back to the Olympics, did you follow other sports and games at Atlanta?

A: I saw some hockey, some basketball. I watched the India-Pakistan hockey match. There was more tension in the crowd than on the field. That was a blood match. That was fun. I saw a little athletics, not much. But I saw lots on TV. Olympics was fun, it was great.

Q: What would you like to tell the rest of the sporting fraternity?

A: Well, just for one, we did it! You know, it is amazing what can happen with a little bit of hard work and effort. That has been my whole story at the Olympics. It is belief, a little extra belief and a little extra bit of hard work