At 84,Pinto sees no reason to stop playing tennis

In fact,at the time of this interview,he was just getting ready to hit the courts for his daily one-hour tennis session at Clover Village in Wanowrie,where he now resides.

Pinto also takes part in the veterans’ tournament held once a year at the Deccan Gymkhana,where the oldest players are still a good ten years younger than him.

Not bad for a man,who is at an age where most players would have hung up their boots a long time ago. Pinto was also recently diagnosed with the painful disease – Herpes. “It does affect my game a little bit,as I get tired slightly faster than I used to,” he says when asked about his unfortunate predicament. “But I see no reason to stop playing,and tennis actually serves as a distraction from the pain,” he smiles.

So how does it feel being one of the oldest players in the city? “It’s interesting,” he laughs,“I quite enjoy all the attention I get. My reflexes have become a little slow over the years,but I am glad that my legs are holding up,and I am able to keep up with the younger players as well,” comes the modest answer.

When asked what keeps him going,Pinto simply replies that it is his love for the game of tennis,and that’s all one needs to hear to realize that his passion for the game knows no bounds. In fact,he is such an ardent supporter of the game that he has gone to the extent of writing letters to the organizers of the Wimbledon and US Open grand slam event,explaining the drawbacks of two-handed play,a phenomenon he is against.

“However,the replies I got from them were quite stupid,” he states in disgust.

Pinto also enjoys watching other sports like football,but tennis remains his true passion. In his spare time,the veteran enjoys gardening and bird-keeping,and tends to over 40 birds of different species in his home. He is quite amazed by the young talent that is present in the sport today,and urges youngsters to start early and stop at nothing to follow their passion. His advice to all players who wish to maintain his level of fitness is simple but valuable: “Breathe properly. A proper pattern of breathing is more important than any other aspect of fitness,and I maintain it by doing yoga and breathing exercises regularly,” he signs off.