For a while, Indian tennis has been in a pitiful state, and the nation’s drop to World Group 2 has made matters worse. India was demoted to World Group 2 for the first time after losing to Denmark by a score of 2-3 in an away match earlier this month. Icon expressed his concern about the current level of Indian tennis and said that it would take “better half a decade” to raise the bar. The player who holds the Davis Cup record with 45 doubles victories remarked, “I feel that it’s going to take a few years until the Davis Cup squad gets some significant talent in it.
When, for the first time since 2017, no Indian tennis player was selected to compete in a Grand Slam qualification round at the Australian Open last month, it was clear that the sport was in decline in India.
“I’m kind of little bummed out that none of our singles players are among the top 300,” the player said. The Olympic bronze medalist asserted, “I don’t believe that has ever occurred.
Currently rated at 306 on the ATP singles rankings, Prajnesh Gunneswaran is the highest-ranked Indian.
In a sport like a tennis, when the cost of training and pursuing a career is so high, I have the utmost respect for all of our Indian players who compete on the international tour.
Being alone on the tennis circuit is difficult given that the majority of the sport is performed abroad. Due to a lack of funds, Zeeshan (Ali) and I spent the night in the locker rooms. Having said that, I believe it will take the Davis Cup team a better half of a decade to possess the same caliber that Ramesh Krishnan, Zeeshan Ali, and all of us did when we played together. In the Davis Cup, it is now more difficult to go to the semifinals, he remarked.
Leander Paes was speaking to the media while seated next to his father Dr. Vece Paes, who won a bronze medal in the 1972 Olympics in Munich and the 1971 hockey World Cup in Barcelona.
In development: A Biopic Of Leander Paes
Leander, who supported the Trinamool Congress during the Goa Assembly elections last year, declined to answer any queries on politics and stated that he is now working on a biopic to showcase the father-son duo’s history on the big screen. It will be ready in about 18 months, he said.
Right now, I’m developing my own story. The Leander storyboard is currently being worked on, so I’ll share that small tidbit with you today. I am limited in what I can say about it. A handful of you is old enough to remember what happened when Baba (father) earned his Olympic medal in 1972.
You’ll all be able to appreciate why, as a young kid learning about my father’s past, I yearned to be like him. This means that the time period will really be from 1972 to 1996. It will be an uplifting tale that demonstrates that becoming an athlete doesn’t necessarily require being the tallest, most gifted, or most competent (person). I’m working on a storyboard right now; hopefully, you’ll get to see it and the posters in 18 months.
