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Leander Paes’s father Vece Paes has said that his son will consider retirement only after performing in the 2016 Olympics in Rio, according to his interview with IBNLive.
The former Indian hockey player, who won a bronze medal in the 1972 Olympics with the Indian hockey team in Munich, encouraged Leander to ignore his age and play as long as he wants to, while also answering questions regarding the 42-year-old’s potential retirement after nearly 25 years on the scene.
“Obviously we talk about retirement,” said Vece, when asked about whether his son ever discusses the topic of retirement. “Because whatever you plan, you plan over time. When we will get to know that Leander is retiring, we have to build and make an alternative profession for him.”
“We also talk what he is planning to do after the retirement. But the fact is that, he is fit, playing so well and producing results, I don’t suggest him to even think about this.”
“In sports, age is just a number and one should play as long as he wants. His main goal is Rio Olympics. His performance in Rio will answer Leander’s retirement decision. If he will do well, he will go on and if not, he will consider retiring.” he concluded.
The team of Leander Paes and Martina Hingis were the first to win three mixed doubles grand slams in the same year since 1969, when they beat American pairing of Sam Querrey and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4 3-6 10-7 to clinch the US Open. The win at Flushing Meadows was the Kolkata native’s fifth US Open title, taking his overall tally to an impressive 17 grand slam titles.
‘Leander has maintained himself well’
Although Vece didn’t congratulate Leander over yet another terrific achievement, he did seem to be very proud when he spoke about whatever his son had accomplished in the year.
When asked about how his son keeps up with the intensity and aggression of the game even at this age, the sports medicine doctor said that maintaining good health both physically and mentally go a long way towards being able to play at the top level.
“If I talk about my era, hockey used to be the big game.” he said. “Most of the athletes were Olympians. If a person has played three or four Olympics, the age goes till 38 or 40.”
“Now, we have seen players retiring at the age of 29 or 30. This is the greed of the game.”
“If I talk about Leander, then I should say greatness is decided by longevity. The longer you play, the more tournaments you win. And, you become great. But, there are many things behind this. A player has to maintain his fitness level. He or she should be physically as well as mentally fit to carry on for long. This is what helped Leander.”
He went on to add: “He has maintained himself well. He has maintained his health - physically and mentally. His aggressive and competitive attitude has taken Him this far and hopefully he will carry on with the same passion.”
