Retaining Paes despite the trials and tribulations

CHENNAI, April 8: Leander Paes has surely come a long way since he first played on the ATP Tour as a teenager -- unsure, insecure, lonely an...

CHENNAI, April 8: Leander Paes has surely come a long way since he first played on the ATP Tour as a teenager — unsure, insecure, lonely and lost in the highly competitive World of professional tennis. “I now see myself as two different personalities, Leander the player and Leander the person,” he declared as the steady eyes bored into you, while giving his face the typically focussed look of an ambitious youngster.

He said that at the start of the nearly hour-long interview with The Indian Express on Wednesday, and after signing the coffee shop bill, he glanced at his watch before excusing himself for a television interview. “Leander the person is a laid-back guy, but as a tennis player, he has learnt time-management,” he said as though he was talking about somebody else !Was it difficult for him to cope with two personalities ? “I guess, it goes with the territory. I have little time for myself, especially when I come back to India. But I enjoy this work and it’s part of the profession,” he saidmatter-of-factly.

Continuing in the same business-like fashion, he dwelt deeper into the subject. “Leander the celebrity has many sides – the tennis player, one who arranges for coaches, equipment and endorsements. It’s all a product. I am a product. Time management was Leander the person’s worst quality since he is laid-back, but I have learnt to overcome the shortcoming.”

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Frankly, one much preferred the Leander who so politely asked for one’s choice of food or drinks, and insisted on a `bite’. “When you put your pen down, then I will be a different guy, more relaxed and laugh a bit. You know, it is funny sometimes and as we talk, my normal personality comes through,” he said with a quizzical look.

Early on the Tour, Leander had problems in coming to grips with a myriad of chores he had to attend to himself. “There was no one out there to do things for you. You had to take the decisions, and do everything yourself. Yes, tennis has hardened me. It has taken a toll and I have become self-centred,like the other guys on the Tour, but not selfish.

“It was so different from my normal personality, that it took time for me to accept the changes in me. After all, tennis is an individual sport and the demands are high. For instance, I haven’t been home for my birthday (June 17, 1973) since I was 10 and probably spent just two Christmas with my family in Calcutta. It is not just me, but almost every other guy on the Tour has gone through the same thing.”

Though Leander dubbed himself as a “product”, he looked anything but an inanimate, commercial object. In the hotel lobby, he patiently obliged an old lady with about a dozen autographs for her kids and grandchildren whose names she dictated. So overcome was the lady that her eyes grew moist with gratitude. It was not a rehearsed Leander show, but very much spontaneous.

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Does all the talk about rankings bother him ? “Well, you are judged by your rankings. But I suppose numbers mean more to others. But for me, it is a question of going out there onthe court and giving off my best. The focus is on effort.”

Looking back, he recounted: “You know, when I came out of BAT (Britannia-Amritraj Tennis foundation), it was a struggle. I lost a few years since we didn’t have the kind of money for me to be on the Tour. I was stagnating. But now, I feel proud of my family. We persevered.”

And Leander Paes is still persevering as only he could.

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