'Uncle Vece impacted many lives including mine': Mahesh Bhupathi

Mahesh Bhupathi

Former India doubles tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi hailed his erstwhile doubles partner Leander's father, Vece, as "a special man with an incredible passion for sport."
Vece, 80, passed away at a Kolkata hospital on Thursday due to age-related illnesses. It is learnt that his last rites will be performed either on Monday or Tuesday, as the family will be awaiting the arrival of his two daughters, both of whom are living abroad.

"Uncle Vece was a very special man with an incredible passion for sport," said Bhupathi, who along with Paes, went on to rule the world of doubles tennis, winning three Grand Slams together in the late 1990s and also holding the Davis Cup record for the most consecutive wins together, 24, between 1997 and 2010.

A sports medicine doctor, Paes Sr wore many hats as a professional later in life after finishing his career as a national hockey player, one of then being the Indian Davis Cup team's doctor, a position he held for a decade. He was also India's team doctor at the 2002 Busan Asian Games and 2004 Athens Olympics. He also worked as a medical consultant with the Asian Cricket Council and the BCCI.

Bhupathi added that Paes Sr impacted many lives in a positive manner. "Uncle Vece made an impact on so many peoples' lives, including mine, particularly when I first got on the Davis Cup team," added Bhupathi.