| Full Name |
Leander Adrian Paes |
| Origin of his name |
Name of a Greek soldier |
| Nickname(s) |
Rog, Lee, Superman of Indian Tennis |
| Date of birth |
17th June 1973 |
| Place of birth |
Goa, India |
| Sun Sign |
Gemini |
| Height |
5’10 |
| Weight |
78 kg |
| Career |
Tennis professional |
| Family |
- Father : Vece -> Olympic hockey player and Member of the Indian field hockey team in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
- Mother : Jennifer -> International basketball player and Member of the basketball team
- Sister
|
| Education |
- La Martinere Calcutta.
- Britannia Tennis Academy from 1985 to 1990.
|
| Residence |
Calcutta, India/Orlando, Florida. |
| Debut (Turned Pro) |
1991 |
| Plays |
Right Handed |
| Grand Slam Titles won |
3 |
| Coach |
Bob Carmichael,Dave O’Meara,sanjay singh |
| Other favourite sports |
Rugby, soccer, cricket, football, table tennis. |
| Influential persons |
Mother Theresa, Pele |
| Health |
- At age three he suffered from epileptic fits.
- At ten, he had Oscar Sclatter’s disease, which is an injury to the knee joints in children, and had to wear a braces
- At age thirty had a parasitic infection called neurocysticercosis
|
| Loves |
Watching movies, plays, musical concerts and playing games other than tennis. |
| Favourite film |
- English – The rock
- Hindi- Dilwale duhaniya le jayenge
|
| Ex-girlfriends |
Anisa, Mahima chaudhary |
| Memorable moment |
- Beating Pete Sampras in Pilot Pen International men’s tennis championship in New Haven August 20, 1998.
- Singles win against France in Frejus in 1995.
- Doubles crown with Mahesh at Wimbledon 1999.
|
| Charity |
Contributed US$ 2000 towards the education of the five poor boys from Future Hope India in Calcutta |
| Ancestor |
Bengali poet Michael Madhusudhan Dutt. |
|
- father: meticulousness
- mother: speed
|
| Before going to the tennis court |
Must pack the bags in a certain manner. Always carries extra shoes, wrist bands, grips, rackets, racket strings. |
| Highest award from the Indian Government |
Padma Shri in 2001 |
| Mahesh Bhupathi about him |
His biggest strength is his heart. He always gives a 100% when he is on the tennis court. |
| in tennis |
Rod Laver and Jimmy Connors |
| Admires |
Monica Seles, Pat Rafter |
| Milestones |
- 1996: Won the Atlanta Olympics bronze medal, becomes the second Indian man in history to do so.
- 1998-99: Won the US and Autralian open Doubles’ championship along with Mahesh Bhupathi, becomes the world’s best doubles player.
- 1990: Won the Wimbledon Junior title and ranked as the No.1 junior player in the world
|
| Interesting facts |
- Started playing tennis at age 5.
- Carried the Indian flag in the Sydney olympics2000
- Greeted by 5,000 people at airport when he arrived home at 4 a.m. after becoming the first athlete from India to win an individual bronze medal since 1952.
- #1 Doubles Player in the World in 1999
- #1 Tennis Player from India for over a decade
- Trained at L.G.E. Sports Science Center in Orlando.
- Lycra MTV Style Awards for Most Stylish Person in Sports 2003
- Captain of the Indian Davis Cup Team
|
| Dream |
To build a tennis institute in India similar to one in Orlando USA |
| Quote |
“I always seem to rise to the occasion whenever pushed against the wall.” |
