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.