Leander Paes Chose Racquet Over Goalposts: Bronze Medalist Olympian Reveals Why He Chose Tennis And Followed His Intuition

Leander Paes, one of India's greatest sporting icons, has recently opened up on his beginnings as an athlete. As an iconic player in the realm of Indian Tennis, Paes has revealed that football has been his first love, and he is not as talented as many might think. Despite having a strong understanding and fondness for football, Leander had a sudden change of heart and pursued tennis as his primary profession for the rest of his career.

Leander Paes Admits His Passion For Football, Admits He's Not Skilled In Tennis

For someone who was born and brought up in Kolkata, Leander Paes' admiration for the game of football remains inevitable. The city has a rich history of football, and it became Leander's first love. At 11 years old, Paes was elected to play for the U17 Junior Academy in Europe for PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona.

The Indian tennis star also admitted that he usually plays old-school backhand and that stars like Aryna Sabalenka, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic carried a world-class stroke during his appearance alongside Republic Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami.  

"So football's been my first love. Always has been, always will be. I'm not so talented at tennis. I don't have a good technical backhand because I play a single-handed old-school backhand. Today, you look at Sabalenka on a backhand, hits the ball harder than I do. You look at Rafa Nadal's backhand, Djokovic's backhand, they're world-class," Leander Paes exclusively said on Legends.

Despite boasting such good qualities as a footballer, Leander Paes wasn't convinced. The Tennis icon had dreams which were larger than life at a very young age and he envisioned putting the national flag of India on the map and proving that we can also be world-class stars.

"My only dream as a young boy growing up was to emulate my father, to prove to Indians that we can be Olympic champions. My biggest passion in the world is to put the Tiranga on the global map, that we can be world-class at anything we do today. Today, many people have proven it. But in the late 70s, early 80s, there were no real models who had won on the global stage. No one had won Wimbledon till then, No one had won an Olympic medal till then; individuals, No one had gone and won a World Championship."

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Leander Paes Opens Up On Following His Intuitions and Taking Up Tennis

Leander Paes' family had a background with a strong sporting connection. His father Vece Paes was upset about his decision to drop football despite being a credible star. When he asked Leander what he would be doing now, he listened to his intuition and said that he would be pursuing tennis. In his recent appearance, Paes exclaimed that his intuition was purely based on gut feeling.

"Intuition is based on a gut feeling... That I could master the art of tennis to win an Olympic medal. And it was a pure gut feeling. If you ask me to articulate it, It's tough too. It's a gut feeling. It's like when you feel something that has no logic, but you know it's correct," Leander added.

Paes' decision to go from goalposts to racquets paid dividends as he elevated Indian Tennis on a global scale. His performance at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta was significant as he clinched a bronze medal finish in the men's singles event. Leander cemented his legacy as one of the greatest Indian tennis players.

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