Indian tennis legend Leander Paes reflected on his illustrious career, emphasizing the significance of Wimbledon, where he achieved multiple titles over decades. Paes, set to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, also highlighted his patriotism and dedication to the sport. He discusses why Wimbledon has a special place in Tennis, and AELTC’s (All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club) fan engagement initiatives, and assesses the chances of the Indian tennis team in the upcoming Olympics. Paes also shared his thoughts on Sumit Nagal’s development and the challenges of winning an Olympic medal in tennis.
Leander, you’ve had a significant association with the All England Lawn Tennis Club, winning multiple titles over decades. How important has Wimbledon been in your career, and how has your relationship with the club evolved?
That’s a great question. Growing up in Kolkata, my main focus was to emulate my father by winning an Olympic medal. Patriotism ran through my family. Playing in the Olympics, winning at the Olympics, and getting world records in the Olympics, Davis Cup and Asian Games were my goals. After nearly four decades, I’ve been blessed to achieve those world records and play at Wimbledon for many years.
An interesting stat mentioned recently is that Rod Laver and I are the only two individuals to win Wimbledon in three different decades. Winning the Boys Junior Singles in 1990 gave me the belief that I could do something great in tennis. Winning the men’s doubles in ’99 with Mahesh proved to Indians that we could be Grand Slam champions. Winning mixed doubles with legends like Martina Navratilova and Martina Hingis, among others, was a dream come true. Seeing India’s name on the winner scrolls multiple times at Wimbledon makes me feel very patriotic and proud.
How proud are you of becoming one of the first Indian players set to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame?
Taking India and Asia into the International Tennis Hall of Fame is not just about me; it’s about taking 1.4 billion Indians with me. Being the first Asian male inducted in the player category means celebrating my 194 doubles partners and 26 mixed doubles partners. It’s about inspiring every child to believe they can be world champions with passion, hard work, and self-belief. My mission has always been to study and inspire young kids throughout my career.
What makes Wimbledon so special compared to other Grand Slam tournaments?
Not only is it the mecca of tennis, but the All England Lawn Tennis Club is the Holy Grail of tennis. For me, growing up in India, as I said earlier, watching Björn Borg and John McEnroe cruel out a tie break in 1981 and watching Navratilova and Chris Evert playing such contrasting styles of baseline tennis and serve and volley tennis. Growing up, watching that, watching Wimbledon being played with wooden rackets back in the late ’70s and early ’80s, then moving to graphite, then moving from the white balls to the yellow balls, then moving from a fast serve and volley style of playing to now where everybody’s standing 5, 10 feet beyond the baseline, hitting it as hard as they can. Just seeing the game evolve over five decades has been spectacular.
I’ve been very blessed to be in that position where I’ve seen generations come and go. I’ve seen probably 9-10 generations of players come and go, from Billy Jean King to the Borg McEnroe, Navratilova, Everts, then to Sampras; the Borg and Edberg era, then to watch Pat Rafter and Pat Cash win at Wimbledon, then to watch Federer, then Nadal, then Djokovic.
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Wimbledon is known for its fan engagement initiatives. Can you discuss how the All England Lawn Tennis Club focuses on engaging fans?
I’m very impressed to see the initiatives the All England Lawn Tennis Club are taking to popularise the Wimbledon Championships. When you look at statistics, it’s like 96% growth year-on-year, viewed from 23 to 2022. 96% growth in one year is phenomenal. Also, when you look at the Wimbledon public ballot, that growth of approximately 74% compared to last year is mind-boggling. To me, I feel like when you look at the first-time initiative – Hindi commentary on Star Sports Network, the All England Club has done a phenomenal job of inclusivity in looking at demographics all across the globe, looking at global fans, and including them in the experience of the All England Championship. I am very interested in seeing next year’s stats.
When you talk of the growth of tennis in our country alone itself, I’m very interested to see how 2025’s Hindi viewership stats will grow considerably. This is one of the things that cricket, World Cup T20, and IPL have done very successfully. The All England Long Tennis Club has taken a phenomenal initiative to promote the championships at Wimbledon in our country, India, and globally.
With the Olympics around the corner, how do you assess the chances of the Indian tennis team?
Winning an Olympic medal in tennis is incredibly tough due to the sport’s global competitiveness. Producing champions requires a lot of passion, dedication, and corporate support at the grassroots level. Rohan Bopanna, at 44, has done remarkably well. If he and Balaji can gel well together in Paris, they can get onto the podium. I wish them all the best.
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A word on Sumit Nagal, who has broken into the top 100. How do you see his development and the areas he needs to work on?
Sumit has improved a lot in the last 12 months. I wish him all the best, especially at the Olympics.
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