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With his utter age-defying heroics to claim his career’s first men’s doubles Grand Slam at the Australian Open earlier in the year, Rohan Bopanna currently sits pretty at the summit of the ATP rankings for double.
The 43-year-old's purple patch, which aligns with the approaching Paris Olympics, has ignited hopes in the hearts of many Indians of an elusive medal in tennis.
But Leander Paes, while remaining in awe of Bopanna's resilience on the court, underlined during an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda the more clear-sighted hurdles that lay ahead of his former doubles partner.
"Look, in tennis, it's going to be tough [to win a medal] for India in the Paris Olympics. Yes, Rohan has had a fantastic start to the year, he's gotten Number 1 in the world, but in doubles. So he'll need a capable partner. If you look at the other teams, like the Americans, Australians, the Germans, or even the French guys, they are very well set. Traditionally, these teams have played the Davis Cup together," Paes explained.
While Bopanna is expected to walk straight into the Olympics thanks to his standings, he's yet to pick his partner. Yuki Bhambri, N Sriram Balaji, Vijay Sundar Prashanth, and Anirudh Chandrasekar are some of the names that have been thrown into the mix.
Meanwhile, Paes, an Olympic bronze medalist in 1996, was also quizzed about the Indian athletes in other disciplines he would be looking forward to in the Summer Olympics. After a quick think, the Indian tennis titan recited his prime medal candidates.
"My eyes are on Neeraj [Chopra], the shooting contingent, and interestingly a couple of the track and field athletes. There's also badminton and men's hockey. So there are quite a few sports where India can be hopeful," Paes added.
Paes, who once was quite the animated character on-court and often a bit of a rebel off it, has over the years welcomed a more profound outlook into his thinking artillery.
While talking about the sporting gala that awaits us, the 50-year-old hoped for the Paris Olympics to pump life into a world bedeviled by rising tensions and the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Also, I'm very interested to see how Paris and Europe showcase the Olympics, because the world is very vulnerable. We've got wars going on everywhere in the world. Some economies are still trying to revive after the pandemic. I'm hoping they can showcase the event and celebrate it beautifully," he stated.
"Aim to touch 250 million lives in these 15 years" - Leander Paes on his latest venture with a Kolkata-based conglomerate
While Leander Paes' realist assessment of India's medal chances in tennis might sting, there's not much of a counter-argument to be made.
A country that produced some trailblazing icons of the sport in the past, has been fading away from the tennis map. Exceptions like a Rohan Bopanna or a Sumit Nagal remain merely as footnotes in an otherwise underwhelming chapter.
But if India aims to reclaim podium spots in tennis within four years, how would the way forward look?
"Let's take that four years and make it fifteen," the multiple Grand Slam winner replied.
Why 15? Well, Paes reasoned on how the vision of his recently-announced collaboration with Kolkata-based conglomerate - Shrachi Group - aligned with this timeline.
"We aim to touch 250 million lives in these fifteen years. While most cater to the top of the pyramid, we are going through the full pyramid. That's what makes our initiative unique. We don't plan on grabbing hold of a Neeraj Chopra, putting our logo, and saying you're ours," the tennis legend averred.
Rahul Todi, managing director of Shrachi Realty, in conversation with Sportskeeda, detailed the specifics of the joint venture with Paes, which was announced on Thursday, and shared their vision for the near future. The vice-president of the East Bengal Club emphasized that the initiative aims to bolster grassroots development, while also focusing on education.
Todi revealed plans to establish a center of excellence at the Aditya Academy of Sports, Barasat, catering to various sports disciplines, with a long-term vision of transforming it into a full-fledged university. There's also an eventual plan to bring on board former players and even current players to offer them a life beyond their professional careers.
Meanwhile, underlining their motto to serve the entire society and not just the top brass, Paes stressed their focus on Paralympic athletes.
"Manasi Joshi [who was present alongside Paes at the Trailblazers 2.0 conclave on Thursday] is one of my heroes. To be a Paralympian it takes ample human courage and the human spirit. We want to support the Paralympic athletes with their equipment, plus mental and physical training."
Still, the only Indian tennis player to stand on the Olympic podium, Paes once revolutionized the sport in the country with his swashbuckling maneuvers on the court.
With his new-found purpose in the administrative side of things, there's hope for an equivalent outcome in his latest escapade.
