'Champion of life': Leander Paes lauds Ukraine tennis player Valeriya Strakhova

The 18-time doubles Grand Slam champion also spoke on the rising stock of the TPL.

Indian tennis stalwart Leander Paes spoke extensively about using sport as a medium to unite people across the world in a media interaction on the sidelines of the fourth season of the Tennis Premier League (TPL). The 49-year-old explained that tennis stands at a unique stage in the country currently, with youngsters emerging out of oblivion and prominent stars calling it a day simultaneously.

Paes talked about acquiring the services of Valeriya Strakhova, a Ukrainian tennis player. He also heaped incredible praise on her for continuing to lend her services to the game irrespective of the war that her people are embroiled in back home. Here are the excerpts from Leander Paes’ conversation with the media personnel.

Current state of Indian tennis

“I think that tennis in India is at a very interesting position at the moment. You have got a few of us who have just retired. Also, you have got a few youngsters who are really talented. So, they will need some time to come up. I think at the moment we need to have patience with tennis and continue to have tournaments.

This year, AITA (All India Tennis Association) had more tournaments than they have ever had,” the 18-time Grand Slam doubles champion remarked.

Is the team format of tennis here to stay?

The TPL has a unique format wherein every match has four games – i.e. Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Mixed Doubles and Men’s Doubles. Each game is played for 20 points, making the entire match worth 80 points eventually. The format is pretty unique with players shifting gears in different versions almost seamlessly. Leander Paes was asked whether such a league was here to stay, amidst it being adjusted in a tightly-packed calendar.

“I played World Team Tennis (WTT) for Washington Kastles for eight years and I won the world championship six times. So, when you look at the team format, I feel what they say is that when you play for the Mumbai Leon Army, you are pushing the whole state of Maharashtra,” Paes said.

He added, “Whether I won a Grand Slam, whether I won multiple Grand Slams, India was right here (pointing to his heart), always. So, I agree with the concept of moving a community through a sport. Sport does not know religion, language, caste, dialect, and colour. Sports unite people. I think that is a wonderful way to see how the sport is being pushed in our country now to unite people.”

New buyers for the TPL?

Paes has been instrumental in building the concept of the TPL from ground up. He has been a part owner of the Mumbai Leon Army since day one. He is widely involved in the overall promotion of the league in its four years so far. In his words, the sustainable model of the competition devised by the promoters has made the league an attractive instrument for potential investors.

“I can tell you comfortably that we have multiple people who now want to buy the league because have shown a way to sustain ourselves. Not only sustain ourselves post-Covid when you see other leagues in India crumble. But also, we have been able to rise.

"Where you had a couple of leagues before where you had some great players and stuff but not sustainable. But here we have continued to grow every year,” the four-time Australian Open doubles champion revealed.

Valeriya Strakhova – ‘Champion of Life’

Leander Paes spoke at length on his theory of using sport as a medium to unite people and substantiated his thoughts by opening up on the journey of Valeriya Strakhova. Ranked 377 in the Women’s Singles rankings of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), Strakhova comes from Ukraine.

The Padma Bhushan awardee appreciated her grit and determination to continue playing the sport irrespective of the hardships that her family and people are suffering back home.

“I have got a Ukrainian player on my team - Valeriya Strakhova. The reason I chose her is because she is a champion of life. Just look at what her country is going through, look at what her family and people are going through.

"Most people will only worry about trophies and Grand Slams and Olympic medals, but when you look at someone like her, she is a champion of life. She is here, playing, doing what she does best. She is playing tennis – which is the best thing she can do,” Paes said.