New Delhi, September 12
Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, held a productive meeting with International Tennis Hall of Famer, Leander Paes, on Thursday to discuss the future of sports in India and strategies to further enhance the country's performance in the Olympics and Paralympics.
The discussion centred around building a stronger sports foundation in India, with an emphasis on identifying and nurturing grassroots talent.
The Union Minister expressed his commitment to creating a more conducive environment where aspiring athletes have access to world-class facilities, coaching, and competitive opportunities.
Earlier this year, Paes and Vijay Amritraj became the first Asian players to be formally inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Amritraj and Paes' careers are intertwined, as the latter was a part of Amritraj's academy. The 70-year-old faced doubts over his career as he struggled with lung issues as a youngster.
Paes, who has represented India at seven Olympic Games, shared his experiences and insights on what it takes to succeed at the highest level.
Paes played from 1991-2021 and had peak rankings of number 73 in singles and number one in doubles. The Kolkata-born star won a total of one singles title and 54 doubles titles, having won each Grand Slam event, i.e. the Australian Open (2012), the French Open (1999, 2001, and 2009), Wimbledon (1999), and US Open (2006, 2009, and 2013).
He also has an Olympic medal in tennis, having secured a bronze during the 1996 Olympics at Atlanta in the men's singles competition, making him the first Asian in Olympic history to win a tennis medal and, to this day, the only Indian.
Paes came from a sporting family that had already made Indians proud on the global stage, with his father Vece being a part of the 1972 Olympics bronze medal-winning hockey team. His mother, Jennifer, was also the captain of the basketball team in the same event.