Paes seventh Olympics historic record for India
Days after being crowned French Open mixed doubles champion, Indian tennis ace Leander Paes on Tuesday insisted that representing the country for a record seventh time will be a proud moment for him.
New Delhi: Days after being crowned French Open mixed doubles champion, Indian tennis ace Leander Paes on Tuesday insisted that representing the country for a record seventh time will be a proud moment for him.
"I have loved playing for my flag. I love playing for the country. I love playing for the people. And even though some of these Grand Slams have my name written on it, in brackets it has got India. And that makes me the proudest," Paes said after completing his career Grand Slam in mixed doubles in Paris.
"My seventh Olympics might be a personal record for me, but it is actually a historical record for India to have the world record of any athlete playing in the game of tennis. For this I am really humbly passionate about it, charged about it. Now, that I am on the threshold of the Olympics, there is no greater honour then to go and create a world record for India in having played seven Olympics in a row," he added.
Paes' dream of making his seventh Olympic appearance can only be fulfilled if Rohan Bopanna, who has earned direct entry for Rio, joins forces with the 42-year-old for the upcoming Olympics Games.
Bopanna had qualified directly for the men's doubles event by virtue of his top-10 ATP ranking that also gives him the privilege to pick the partner of his choice.
Reflecting on the same, Paes said that Rohan and him would make up the best team for a medal at Rio, adding that he is confident that All India Tennis Association (AITA) will send the best pair.
Earlier, Paes and his Swiss partner Martina Hingis produced a resilient performance as they recorded a 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 win over second seed Indo-Croatian duo of Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig in a pulsating summit clash at Roland Garros.
