| 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 |
| Famous
Ancestor |
Bengali
poet Michael Madhusudhan Dutt. |
| Inherited
from his parents |
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. |
| Favorites
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." |
