Paes completes the set

Paes teams up with Czech's Radek Stepnek to beat the Bryans,and complete a career Grand Slam.

Thrice,in 1999,2006 and 2011,Leander Paes reached the Australian Open men8217;s doubles final,and thrice he was stopped from conquering the Rebound Ace surface of the Rod Laver Arena. The first time around,it was the innocuous pairing of Pat Rafter and Jonas Bjorkman. But on the last two occasions,the force across the net was that of a pair whove learned to co-ordinate right from their mothers womb the Bryan brothers.

Barring their only French Open victory,Bob and Mike have won every other Slam on multiple occasions,including five Australian Opens together. They have been atop the world rankings for a record 270 weeks and counting,and on their favourite court in the world,the twins were on the brink of another landmark twelve men8217;s doubles Slams.

Yet,with a singles specialist in Radek Stepanek the least likely of his pairings in recent times and a man Paes claims to have tutored over the last few days the 38-year old did three things he had never done before in his 21-year career. Beat the Bryans in any final 7-6,6-2,win the Australian Open,and complete a career Grand Slam in mens doubles.

For three weeks Ive been working on Radeks doubles skills. And dont forget that this is our first Slam together, he said looking over his shoulder with tears in his eyes and a smile on his lips.

He is one of the best ones I ever had. And in Grand Slams Ive had about nine different partners. Seventeen actually,of which only four have borne Slam fruit.

The list of Tieleman,Lareau,Renstrom,Ullyett,Pereira,Belloli,Bhupathi first French and Wimbledon,Siemerink,Cibulec,Huss,Hill,Rikl,Zimonjic,Damm first US,Hanley,Dlouhy and Stepanek makes it more male partners in Slams for Paes than anybody else in the world. 8221;

The reason I can still win Grand Slams on the brink of turning 39 is because I know how to pick great partners, said Paes. In Elena Vesnina he may have picked another,with whom he will play in the mixed doubles final on Sunday to make it No. 14 over all,but not all his choices have been great.

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Consider this: Since turning pro in 1991,Paes has partnered 87 different men in his career,a world record almost never spoken of. And only the last name on that list helped him do what he couldnt in two decades with any of the others that of completing a career Grand Slam,a remarkable crown to a remarkable career.