(C.S. Manish 2009)
I watched them from extremely close quarters at the 2009 US Open and was disappointed when they did not win. Luckily, they did not make it three losses in a row in Grand Slam finals (they had previously lost at the Wimbledon final, too).
Not only is he a great player, like Federer, Paes is a wonderful speaker and a great ambassador for the sport. Federer is good at speaking with compassion and clarity but even he can take a leaf out of Paes' interviewing skills. Read this interview of Paes and you will get a great idea of how good he is for tennis.
Editor's note: Here's the full transcript of the post-match press conference of Paes and Black. My favorite bit:
Q. Does he talk non‑stop on the court as well?I am now rooting for Roger and Paes-Black to get a single season Grand Slam!
CARA BLACK: It's great. I love it (laughter).
3 comments:
For all of Paes doubles achievements, I will always treasure how kept the Indian flag flying in the Davis Cup.
My earliest memory of him, is playing I think Shuzo Matsuoka in the deciding Davis Cup rubber in Delhi and winning it in five sets. He then went on to defeat the likes of Wayne Ferraira, Goran Ivanisevic, Jan Siemerink...
No matter his public spats with Bhupathi, he alongwith the likes of SRT and RD should be role models for young kids back home.
TG, absolutely. He is an ambassador for the sport in the truest sense. In 2008 at the US Open, I got a chance to see him interact with the crowd (and get his autograph and have a photo taken with him...I have it on my blog somewhere).
After the match was done, he spent about 45 minutes fulfilling every autograph request made to him. At one point, people were crowding him and he told us to take it easy and that he was not going anywhere without signing for everyone. He made small talk with people, answered their questions. My favorite moment came when one gentleman asked him for an autograph and said that his daughter is a big fan but is sick and couldn't make it. Leander asked the guy for his phone number, fixed a time for later that afternoon, and told him he'd call and talk to the daughter!
JQ
That's a good incident to read, about him wanting to call up and talk.
Impressive also that he fulfilled EVERY fan's need for an autograph.
I recollect that when he was playing mixed doubles with Navaratilova, he didn't play a few tournaments since she was injured. He could easily have got another partner, but he stuck to his promise.
Such guys are rare indeed.
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