For athletes who go on to transform themselves into legends, learning is a never-ending process. And Leander Paes, who is India's most decorated player with 18 Grand Slam doubles titles, had no qualms in admitting even that at this stage of his career, he can learn by watching Spanish great Rafael Nadal train and play
Leander Paes during a practice session ahead of the Davis Cup tie against Spain. Pic/ PTI
New Delhi: There is a tennis legend on each side. On one side is Rafael Nadal, a four-time Davis Cup winner with Spain, seeking to power his country back into World Group and hopefully a fifth Cup.
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And on the other side is the Indian legend Leander Paes, who takes great pride in his Davis Cup record. Other members of the Indian team, Saketh Myneni, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Sumit Nagal will be fortunate to see a master class unfold on either side of the net.
Rafa hungry for more
Like Paes, the 30-year-old Nadal takes pride in representing his country. "I have been playing in the Davis Cup since I was 17. It is a special feeling to represent your country and there have been some great moments. We had some great success, but we want more," Nadal said.
While Nadal, who confessed he 'has been lucky' to play against some of the legends of the game, has won 14 Grand Slam singles titles. And now that he is fit again, he hopes to add few more. But there is Davis Cup before all that.
Paes has featured in 53 Davis Cup ties and has an incredible 90 wins (48 in singles and 42 in doubles) in 123 ties. He is tied with Italian Nicola Pietrangeli for the all-time record of 42 doubles wins, and a victory this week will put him all by himself atop the peak.
Shrugging off his own legendary status, Paes said, "If I was a youngster, I would be here everyday and watch the 14-time Grand Slam champion. For me, even now, at this stage of my career, where I have played for 30 years, you can learn from Rafa.
"You can learn about the footwork, about the power, the generation of shots, the follow through, the swing and his rituals after the practice and so on," he adds.
Just as Spain seeks to get back to World Group, India are also seeking a place in the elite World Group for the third consecutive year but again they are almost certain to remain in the Asia/Oceania zone.
Formidable Spain
Paes is aware of Spain's formidability and getting past them will be virtually impossible, yet he gives it another twist.
"It's all about perspective. You have to be realistic. You have to look at the extended group, whether singles or doubles. In singles we've always had one single player. On the whole, we have improved," he remarked.
Despite his non-playing captain Anand Amritraj offering a different view, Paes defended the decision to play Spain under floodlights. Paes contends that players like Nadal and David Ferrer cannot be beaten by heat as they can slug it out for hours in tough conditions.
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