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Leander Paes: How the Pac-Man of tennis went from arcade to Hall of Fame
Indian reflects on his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
July 20, 2024
Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
Leander Paes is the first Asian male to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a player. By Andrew Eichenholz
Leander Paes, a man with the heart of a lion and the hands of a magician, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday.
It is fitting that he will officially claim the honour at a venue in Newport where he won his lone ATP Tour singles title in 1998 and one of his 54 tour-level doubles titles in 1999 (with Wayne Arthurs). Paes has always worn his emotions on his sleeve, and this week has been no different in Rhode Island.
Paes was once a child in Calcutta, India, running around barefoot playing cricket and football in the streets. Now, he is the first Asian male being enshrined as a player in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
“I got really emotional and obviously with my family here and my dad and my friends and my family and things here, it is an emotional time,” Paes told ATPTour.com. “But I'm really sharing a huge part of my history with all my memorabilia here in the International Tennis Hall of Fame and I hope it inspires people throughout the world.”
On Thursday, Paes enjoyed teaching local youth in a clinic, giving all the kids individualised attention to make memories that will last a lifetime. One boy even exclaimed after giving the Indian a high five that he would never wash his hand again.
Perhaps the magical net hands that Paes used to win eight men’s doubles majors, 10 mixed doubles Slams and reach No. 1 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings will pass on to the next generation, which he aims to continue inspiring in the next chapter of his life.
“I've never been one to rest on my laurels. So now that it's done, all the seven Olympics and the world record in Davis Cup and the world record in the Olympic Games, and won 18 Grand Slams, and all that stuff that Wikipedia and Google can tell you, this induction is really inspiring,” Paes said. “Now I want to embark on taking our game of tennis with the platform of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and with brand Leander and sharing that with the whole world to inspire over the next 15 years 250 million children to play the game of tennis and sport.
“[It is] for them to realise that sport is a great vehicle to educate themselves. Sport is a great way to earn a living, to put food on the table, to put a roof over your head. Sport is a great way to live a great quality of life because sport teaches you leadership, teamwork, camaraderie, how to handle a bad loss and how to be gracious with a great win.”
Paes claimed the Newport singles trophy in 1998. Photo: International Tennis Hall of Fame.
One player the 51-year-old has already motivated is Ramkumar Ramanathan, the 2018 Newport finalist, who looked up to the likes of Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. Ramanathan was able to harness the motivation his countrymen provided to become a touring pro himself and even compete alongside Paes once.
“I'm very happy that he is getting inducted in this prestigious Hall of Fame because he totally deserves it,” Ramanathan said. “He's won 18 Grand Slams. To win a match at a Grand Slam itself is tough. It's tough to win a match anywhere. Obviously he is someone I've looked up to for so many years and still will. He's helped me a lot also on the road. Whenever he could, he always looks out for his people.”
Paes will be remembered not just for his unrelenting intensity, passion and competitive spirit on court, but his incredible feel around the net. From sensational drop volleys to surprise swinging volleys and jaw-dropping touch, the Indian was a master of the net. The former World No. 1 was a Pac-Man in the forecourt, gobbling up any ball floating through the middle of the court and often making daring poaches to take points into his own hands.
How he became that good might surprise you, though.
Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
“Misspent youth. My dad made me spend 100 rupees every single day to play video games. Back in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s, one video game was one rupee. And my dad made me spend 100 video games every single day,” Paes said. “In the beginning, I thought that he was just the best father in the world. But then after about two months of playing my hands got tired of playing video games every day.
“I used to play Pac Man and Space Invaders. Those were the most popular games back then. And after two months, I went back with 50 rupees' change and I went to give it to him. He said, ‘What's this?’ So I said, ‘This is 50 rupees' change from the 100 you gave me today’. He goes, ‘No, this is not for you to buy ice cream or do fun things with. You have to go and play 100 video games every day, because I'm working on your eye-hand coordination’.”
Paes’ longtime coach, Sanjay Singh, who spent more than 30 years with his charge, recalled specific moments in which even as a professional Paes continued training his hands with video games.
“We never had the iPhone at that time. He used to play a ladder game with his Nokia phone, snake ladder. I still remember they had the video games here in Newport. We used to go there and play two, three hours, four hours and pick up the tickets and we used to get the bubble gum with that,” Singh said. “In Mallorca, we were playing matches every evening. We were playing video games, we were going and putting coins in the machine.
“There are some things which we had done, people have no idea what we used to do, just for the hand-eye coordination.”
According to Paes, he also learned tricks from some of the best volleyers in tennis history, from Tony Roche, Bob Carmichael and Rick Leach to John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker.
“I remember Tony Roche always telling me to keep my wrist up when I volleyed. Rod Laver taught me to carry rubber bands in my pocket, so I kept on strengthening the muscles of my fingers that I didn't even know I had,” Paes said. “To be able to wield a tennis racquet is not so easy. But to build up the muscles in your fingers, allows you to use your index finger to create more topspin or to use your thumb to create slice, or to use your forefinger, thumb and middle finger on a kick serve.
“All these different nuances of the game, my coaches taught me, and especially the drop shot. Rick Leach was a master at it and he taught me about how to still use my legs through my volleys with soft hands. So the legs were for power and the hands were for direction or touch.”
Those skills helped Paes win 54 tour-level doubles titles and 770 tour-level men’s doubles matches. He captured his trophies over the course of 19 years, his first in 1997 in Chennai with Bhupathi and his last in Auckland in 2017 alongside Raven Klaasen.
It has been an unforgettable journey for a boy from Calcutta who never dreamt of this moment because he did not know it was possible.
“[He] had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning every day for tennis practice. He didn't give up. He kept on persevering,” Paes said of his younger self. “He kept on pushing the boundaries of the human body, the human mind and the human spirit. I want to thank that little boy. He's been through a lot. And sitting here now at 51 years of age, I can always feel really blessed. I do feel really blessed to be inducted in the Hall of Fame.”
