Leander Paes 10 Personal Facts, Biography, Wiki
Indian tennis player Born: June 17, 1973 (age 48 years), Kolkata, India Retired: 2021 Awards: Arjuna Award for Lawn Tennis, Padma Bhushan Children: Aiyana Paes Parents: Vece Paes, Jennifer Paes FULL NAME Leander Adrian Paes BORN June 17, 1973 HEIGHT 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) NATIONALITY Indian ROLE Right-handed net-rusher (one-handed backhand) RELATION(S) Vece Paes (father), Jennifer Paes (mother), Aiyana (daughter)
Leander Paes 10 Pics, Photos, Pictures
Leander Paes 10 Fast Facts, Biography, Wiki
Paes was born in Calcutta, India, on 17 June 1973 to Vece Paes, a Goan, and, Jennifer Paes, from Calcutta. He was educated at La Martiniere Calcutta, Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School and at St. Xavier’s College of the University of Calcutta. His parents were both athletes. Vece was a midfield squad member in the bronze medal-winning Indian field hockey team at the 1972 Munich Olympics although he did not personally receive a medal as he did not take to the field in any of India’s matches. His mother captained the Indian basketball team in the 1980 Asian basketball championship. Paes is a direct descendant of Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutta through his mother. Paes had a live-in-relationship with Rhea Pillai in 2005. The couple have a daughter, Aiyana. She filed a case at a local metropolitan court against Paes in 2014, alleging that he had her belongings removed from a wing of his home so his visiting parents could stay there. Paes enrolled with the Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy in Madras (Chennai) in 1985, where he was coached by Dave O’Meara. The academy played a key role in his early development. Leander earned international fame when he won the 1990 Wimbledon Junior title and rose to no. 1 in the junior world rankings at age 17. In 2010, he joined the Board of Directors of Olympic Gold Quest, a foundation co-founded by Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone to support talented Indian athletes. Leander Paes is an Indian tennis player whose incredible success in doubles and mixed doubles have made him a household name all over the world. Paes created several firsts for Indian tennis, including becoming the first ever men’s doubles Grand Slam champion from the country (along with Mahesh Bhupathi). His accomplishments at the Olympics are also widely celebrated, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Paes is considered a national treasure in India. Paes is an aggressive player who spends most of his time at the net. He rarely trades groundstrokes from the back of the court, and almost never hits a topspin backhand; he prefers to slice off that wing. Paes makes liberal use of the drop shot and lob, and plays a variety of touch shots from all parts of the court. His volleys are considered among the best in the history of the sport, often manufacturing seemingly impossible shots at the net that completely befuddle his opponents. In doubles, the Indian is an expert at ‘poaching’ the ball at the net. He has achieved remarkable success by taking time away from the opponents through his reflex drop volleys. Paes’ movement and anticipation are also important features of his game. He regularly features in ‘hot shots’ clips by using the full dimensions of the court to outwit his opponents. Paes’ consistency and power from the baseline could be considered his weaknesses, especially in singles. He doesn’t strike the ball with as much spin and depth as most modern baseliners do, which puts him at a disadvantage while defending. Paes was born in Kolkata, and comes from a family of athletes. His father Vece Paes represented the Indian hockey team at the 1972 Olympics, where they won bronze. His mother Jennifer Paes played international basketball, captaining the Indian team at the Asian Basketball Championship in 1980. Paes had a highly successful junior career, winning the Wimbledon boys’ title in 1990 and later capturing the No. 1 junior ranking. While he didn’t have a great singles career on the pro tour, he won several accolades while representing his country at multi-sport events – most notably the singles bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics. Paes had a high-profile relationship with model Rhea Pillai, who gave birth to their daughter Aiyana in April 2006. The couple separated in 2013, amid allegations of domestic abuse leveled by Pillai at Paes and his father.
