Indian veteran Leander Paes targets 100 Grand Slam appearances

• Tennis News

Indian doubles tennis legend Leander Paes says he wants to complete 100 Grand Slam appearances and that may motivate him to continue playing once the tour resumes, during an interview with table tennis player Mudit Dani on his chat show ''Sportlight".

The former World No. 1 in doubles says, "I have played 97 Grand Slams so far and if I play 3 more, it will be 100 so that moves me. Also getting to the eighth Olympics to make sure India is forever on the top as the most number of Olympics played by a tennis player.

That is the benchmark I would like to push. But even if I don't get there, still I'm happy with what I've done and the career I have."

Leander Paes has played in 97 Grand Slams so far

Paes confirmed that he would evaluate about playing in 2021 depending on when the global circuit resumes and says he is not confident of the circuit resuming very soon.

"Olympics is still far away. As of now, I find it difficult to believe that sports will start by July or August. Would it start October or November, who knows. But my team and I are very well prepared that when the lockdown opens up, we will revaluate then and look at ''One Last Roar'' as season whether we should look at 2021 or not." Leander Paes has won eight doubles and ten mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.

He also won a bronze medal for India in singles in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and has competed in consecutive Olympics from 1992 to 2016, making him the first Indian and only tennis player to compete at seven Olympic Games.

He holds a career Grand Slam in men's doubles and mixed doubles, and achieved the rare men's doubles/mixed doubles double at the 1999 Wimbledon tournament. His mixed doubles Wimbledon title in 2010 made him the second man (after Rod Laver) to win Wimbledon titles in three decades.

He is a former Davis Cup team captain for India, and holds the record for the most Davis Cup doubles wins with 43 victories, beating the earlier record of 42 wins by Nicola Pietrangeli. He is currently ranked No. 115 in the world doubles rankings and will need to improve his ranking if he hopes to make an appearance in the Olympics next year.