Paes Enjoys Return To ATP Challenger Tour In Leon
Paes Enjoys Return To ATP Challenger Tour In Leon
The former World No. 1 in doubles reached the final in Leon with Sam Groth.
It’s not often you see a former World No. 1 and 17-time Grand Slam champion competing in an ATP Challenger Tour event, but Leander Paes spoke of his time this week at the $75,000 event in Leon with the same reverence as some of the biggest events on the ATP World Tour.
Competing in the doubles draw with Sam Groth, the No. 3 seeds advanced to the final and held two championship points before narrowly losing to No. 1 seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Mate Pavic, 6-4, 3-6, 13-11. But despite the loss, Paes only had good things to say about the tournament.
“It’s been a while since I’ve played a Challenger, but the stadium was packed,” said Paes. “Everybody loves their tennis here in Leon. It’s really special for me to be able to come out and play here and make people happy. The club is beautiful and the local hospitality is something that I’m very appreciative of.”
Paes also expressed optimism about his partnership with Groth. Having reached the final of their first event together, the pair plan to team up again and Paes believes their combined skill sets could be a winning combination.
“Sam is a dear friend and a great tennis player,” said Paes. “The combination is excellent. He has a big serve and I’ve got some touch, so we’re just trying to keep each other happy out there.“
After 25 years on tour, Paes still remains determined to get back to the top of the game and has no plans of retiring. But as he reaches what even he acknowledges is the back end of his career, his main goal is to maximize the time he has left.
“After you’ve won 17 Grand Slams and played in six Olympics, you don’t really worry about expectations,” said Paes. “I just want to go out and have fun.”
Four other Grand Slam doubles champion joined Paes this week in competing in doubles on the ATP Challenger Tour. Former World No. 1 Mahesh Bhupathi and Jonathan Marray teamed up at the $50,000 event in St. Brieuc, while Frederik Nielsen and Jonathan Erlich competed separately in the $125,000 tournament in Ra’anana.