08 June,2009 08:06 AM IST | | Ashwin Ferro
Leander Paes says on-court injury spurred him on to French Open glory
Injuries either bring a player down temporarily or take him out completely. In the case of India's tennis ace Leander Paes, however, a freak eye injury during the French Open doubles final against Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman on Saturday won him his ninth Grand Slam title.
During Game Three of the first set, the 6ft 8in Norman slammed a forehand volley straight into the face of Paes who was standing close to the net.
"It hit my right eye and took me out completely. For a moment, I wasn't sure if I could continue. But then I looked up and saw the concern on everyone's faces and thought maybe this could be the turnaround for us (Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy began shakily going 0-2 down in Set One before the incident). And right enough, while the intensity of that incident pegged Moodie and Norman down, it spurred me on," Paes told MiD DAY from Paris after clinching his third French Open doubles title with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win at Roland Garros.
India's most capped Davis Cupper and reigning US Open mixed doubles champion attributes his success to a host of other factors too.
Excerpts from the interview...
Given Dlouhy was unwell shortly before this tournament, winning it must come as a surprise.
It sure is and a pleasant one at that. We've had a very rough start to the summer because Lukas was under the weather with the flu. In fact, we got together only a few days before the French Open. That's why I had not set any targets for myself here.
Which match would you rate as your toughest the Nestor-Zimonjic semi-final or the final?
The final, because that's the most important match. But also, beating the World's No 1 team (Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic) was a very fulfilling experience, especially since they had beaten us so many times earlier. But the final was tough givenu00a0 Moodie and Norman's unorthodox style of play.
You guys didn't begin the final on a perfect note, did you?
That's because they are a very unorthodox pair. It took us quite some time to figure out their style of play. They are very powerful servers and have a huge reach advantage too. So, Set One was more of trying to understand their game. That helped us counter them well in the second and third sets.
Normally you do most of the acrobatics, but on Saturday Lukas played some unbelievable shots too.
This was our second Grand Slam final (after last year's US Open) and Lukas showed some great confidence. We must hand it to our coaches Rick Leach and Martin Stepanek. They've done some amazing work with us over the last few months.
How is your eye doing?
Not very well, I must admit. During the match I was all keyed up, so I didn't feel the pain, but after the win, I had a doctor check it out and it hurts. It's not serious though. The retina is unhurt, which is great news. I just hope I can give it enough rest before I'm back in action .
Next stop, Wimbledon (June 22)?
No! Next stop Mumbai. Originally, I was scheduled to head to London, but now having won here, I have to return home to give my beautiful daughter, Aiyana a huge hug.
