New Delhi: Circle of life, playing out. That’s what legendary Indian tennis player Leander Paes believes as he laments on the recent decline of Indian tennis. From an upswing which was being witnessed in the last 40 odd years, Indian tennis is experiencing a downfall and a serious one indeed. Paes, who is considered one of the legends of Indian tennis, emphasised on the need for being patient.
This comes after the Indian team failed to show up in the David Cup Group I tie recently. India endured a 0-4 defeat against Sweden, which relegated them to the play-off stage for the upcoming year. Paes said that he is a big believer in the circle of life, saying that when one goes up, coming down is unavoidable and then you come back again.
“Like anything in life, when you go up, you have to come down, and then you come back up again. I am a big believer in the circle of life,” the former world No 1 in doubles said.
In addition, the Indian tennis stalwart said that the Indian tennis players need to have a bit more patience in the game, which will act as a key for positive results.
“I think we all need to have a little bit of patience as far as tennis goes. We have all enjoyed such an upswing over the last 40 years, proving that we can be number one in both women’s doubles and men’s doubles,” he added.
Sumit Nagal holding fort for Indian tennis
Currently, the only Indian player in the top 100 of the ATP men’s singles rankings is Sumit Nagal, who holds the fort for Indian tennis in the world. Nagal is positioned at 83, while Ramkumar Ramanathan follows at 332. Apart from theses two, Rohan Bopanna, 44, remains the flag-bearer of men’s doubles in India, currently ranked sixth while another tennis stalwart Yuki Bhambri is at 43rd position.
The WTA rankings reveal a grim situation for Indian women’s tennis, with no players in the top 200; Sahaja Yamalapalli is the highest-ranked Indian at 293.
“The circle of life is evident in everything — business or otherwise. The greatest key to success is patience. I have no doubt that tennis will rise again to the top in India,” he added.
Legendary Leander Paes has lamented on the decline of Indian tennis, saying that he believes in the full circle of life. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
