To measure the contribution of the inimitable, and irreplaceable, Leander Paes to Indian tennis, one just has to look at the success percentage of his 30-year Davis Cup career: an astounding 72.65 per cent (singles/doubles, on all surfaces). Also, the 1996 Olympic bronze medallist holds the Davis Cup world record of most wins: 45 (77.58 per cent) in 58 ties played. Still, the ageless Paes, who turned 47 on June 17, is not averse to continuing, post-Covid shutdown. While cleaning his Mumbai apartment during the lockdown, he spoke to Qaiser Mohammad Ali in a free-wheeling interview. Excerpts:
You have been doing a lot of things during the lockdown, cleaning your house etc. So, how was the Covid-19 lockdown period for you?
The lockdown period has been quite difficult for everyone. For me, in particular, my job has come to a standstill. Having a job like playing tennis, professional tennis requires a lot of travel, playing in different cities every week, in different countries every week. And this moment in...