"Martina Navratilova's knowledge about diet and sleep recovery helped me to prolong my career" - Leander Paes

Leander Paes recently spoke about how Martina Navratilova helped him prolong his tennis career.

Paes and Navratilova formed a formidable doubles partnership from 2002-2005. The pair won two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles together, at the 2003 Australian Open and 2003 Wimbledon Championships. They also finished runner-up twice, at the 2004 Australian Open and 2005 French Open.

Speaking to Forbes India on Wednesday, the former Indian tennis ace discussed his partnership with the Czech-American. Paes credited Martina Navratilova in part for his lengthy three-decade long run on the tour. Her diet and punctuality in particular stood out to him, and would eventually help him stretch his professional career longer.

"Martina Navratilova’s knowledge about diet and sleep and recovery helped me tremendously to prolong my career," Paes said.

The 50-year-old also stated that Navratilova was very specific about her practice times because of her muscle memory.

She was very specific about her practice times—she would not practice for 2/3/4 hours because she already had the muscle memory. She would come in and practice for 40 minutes—and those would be really intense 40 minutes—and move on," Paes said.

Leander Paes is the first Indian to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He has been included in the class of 2024, along with compatriot Vijay Amritraj, an inductee in the contributors category. The pair is set to officially be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Newport, Rhode Island.

Martina Navratilova once picked Leander Paes as her favorite mixed doubles partner

Leander Paes of India and Martina Navratilova of the USA in action in the Mixed Doubles Final during the final day of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship - Getty Images

Martina Navratilova once said that Leander Paes was her favorite-ever mixed doubles partner. She made the statement before stepping out on the court with Paes for an exhibition match at the DLTA Stadium in November 2015.

"Of all the mixed doubles partners I played with, Leander is my favorite," Navratilova said.

The pair took on the Indian duo of Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza in what was a promotional event for the International Premier Tennis League's India leg. The match ended in a tie, with both sides winning one set each.