At 42, leander Paes is still going strongly and he's got nothing left to win. Australian OpenIJ Check. French OpenIJ Check. WimbledonIJ Check. US OpenIJ Check. Olympic GamesIJ Check. In fact, his medal at the Olympics came in singles at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Despite the 17 Grand Slams in his kitty, he says he still gets up in the morning and has a target to achieve in mind from the night before. And he also sets up short term and long-term goals. Keeping that in mind, he has his sights firmly set on the Olympics in Rio next year.
"As a human being, I'm innately driven by goals. In that when I get up in the morning, I've already set goals for the day from the night before. I have daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and five year plans. And then hopefully by the end of the year, you've achieved your yearly goals, at the end of two years, achieved your two yearly goals and achieved your five yearly goals.
"After 26-27 years of playing, I never thought of winning a Grand Slam or 17 Grand Slams or how many Davis Cups or Olympics I played. But what I did dream about as a young kid was winning an Olympic medal and I've done that. And that's something I'm proud of," he said after the Davis Cup draw in the capital on Thursday where India are facing the top ranked Czech Republic.
Most are amazed at Paes playing at 42 and with the amount of energy at that but he concedes that the body does feel the burden of it.
"My body does feel it (the strain) but you spend your time looking after it. I mean who told Martina Navratilova at 49 that she would win a Grand Slam but I helped her win. I stood on the podium with her thinking wow about myself because I'd won my 6th Wimbledon butshe won her 21stWimbledon!
"The tennis ball doesn't understand age — it understands the power, the effort and the spin you put in. I can find a 14-year-old mature girl and I can find a 90-year-old unbelievably young person. So age is just a number,"he added effectively.
Paes who has guided India in numerous Davis Cup ties and been a rock for the team both in singles and doubles, understands that at this juncture in his career, he has to live and work with his body to keep on winning more. "You have to evolve with your body and understand each part of the body, understand when you're sick, understand when and how to pace yourself. You come in on practice days and put in five hours, your energy will be sapped by the day you have to play. I think that's the greatest thing they instilled in me. Their genetics is one huge bonus that I've had." A fact effectively established by the fact that Paes picked up 103 fever and cold after the US Open win that required him to rest in New York for two days before landing in India and then making his way to Delhi on Wednesday evening for practice. He continued to practice in the Delhi heat on Thursday too.
With tennis undergoing a new trend of sorts in which older players are dominating as visible by Serena Williams' glorious run, Flavia Pennetta in the US Open women's final, Paes and Martina Hingis dominating the mixed doubles field, Paes said it is about understanding your style and changing things minutely to keep getting better. "These players have found a formula to replicate excellence. If you see Serena and (Novak) Djokovic who won 3 of 4 Grand Slams, they have a formula for excellence and every year you add on 1% in departments such as fitness, equipment or mental toughness. You also learn from a taxi driver who stays up late at night. So you learn that you don't fight life but you make it worth living," he concluded.