'Honor to play against you' - Martina Navratilova lauds Indian legend Leander Paes at HoF ceremony

Alongside Vijay Amritraj, Leander Paes has become the first Indian player to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Former American tennis star Martina Navratilova heaped praise on 18-time Grand Slam champion Leander Paes at his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Paes, Vijay Amritraj and Richard Evans were inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Sunday during a memorable ceremony at the Horseshoe Court in Newspot. With that, Paes and Amritraj have become the first Indian (and Asian) tennis players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Several former tennis stars such as Andre Agassi, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova were present at the venue for the ceremony. During the ceremony, she addressed her former mixed doubles tennis partner and stated that Paes was an artist on the court.

Navratilova also stated that the 18-time grand slam champion has made his family as well as his nation proud with his flamboyant tennis. She said, “He was an artist on the court, an amazing athlete, a virtuoso… He wielded the tennis racquet like an orchestra conductor wields the baton.”

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The nine-time Wimbledon women’s singles champion further added, “Leander, it was truly my honor to play against you. I enjoyed it a lot more when I played with you. You have done your family proud; you have done our sport proud and most of all, you have done India proud.”

Martina Navratilova and Leander Paes have won two mixed doubles Grand Slam titles together. In 2003, the two played together at the Australian Open. Interestingly, they won the tournament without losing a single set. They defeated Eleni Daniilidou and Todd Woodbridge in the final to win the title.

Later that year, they beat Andy Ram and Anastasia Rodionova in the final of the 2003 Wimbledon to win their second Grand Slam together. Apart from the titles, they also finished as runner-ups at the 2004 Australian Open and the 2005 French Open. Navratilova retired from tennis in 2006, while Paes hung up his boots in 2021.

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