India can win medal in men's doubles at Asian Games: Leander Paes

Tennis icon Leander Paes feels that the singles event might be challenging for Indian tennis squad but the country can hope to win a medal in the Asian Games with the mens doubles team However it remains to be seen who is picked to play alongside the seasoned Rohan BopannaIn the Asian Games in mens doubles we have a good opportunity of doing well We have multiple options of teams in the doubles We have got quite a few players who can play Paes said during an event on the eve of the Wimbledon mens final here on SundayIn singles when you look at countries historically like Japan Korea Uzbekistan China Chinese Taipei Thailand it will be a little tougher but in doubles we have a great chance of winning a medal if not a gold medalIt just depends on the combination of teams who they pick to play with Rohan and who the second team will beAbout the future of the sport in India Paes feels the Indian players will find it tough to keep up with the competition in the international level in next few years and said it is unfortunate that the country does not host important eventsI think it is going to be a tough time for Indian tennis for the next couple of years I have tremendous respect for Indian players who are travelling internationally spending Euros and dollars spending foreign currency to have a coach a trainer equipment to get all your flights hotel transportrdquo he saidYou do not have an association which pays for all of that Each of us has to do it individually whereas you have the BCCI which has done such a wonderful job for cricketYou have Hockey India AIFF Reliance doing it for ISL But tennis is an individual sport very much like badminton or track and field in there 9999 per cent of the tennis tournaments are outside India There is nothing hereAlso Read lsquoIt will take 78 years for India to get another Grand Slam championrsquo Leander PaesPaes said the kids are distracted by the ways of the modern world but took pride in the fact that he was able to inspire many to take up the sportI hope in the next 35 or 10 years we see a wave of young players coming through he saidWhen I was playing I proved that Indians could be champions In 1991 after I won the Wimbledon junior and the junior US Open in September the growth of the number of Indian kids playing tennis was 4000 per centI do not see that today Gadgets social media options of OTT platforms are taking a lot of time off the kidsPaes said it is important to allow kids the time and scope to pursue the sport they are interested in alongside studiesYou go to school for 567 hours a day theres no time for practice in the morning Instead of getting four sessions of training and technical practice in any sport you are getting one or maximum two a dayIn the Western world kids are doing online schooling and focusing on their sport They are doing four sessions a day 356 days a year multiplied by 10 or 15 yearsThat is why an Carlos Alcaraz at the age of 19 is No 1 in the world Do you see any 19yearold tennis players in India right now It is all about repetition practice and trainingHad a blessed careerRecalling his childhood days Paes said I personally feel I have a very blessed career Growing up I used to play gully cricket and football in the maidans of Calcutta Kolkata In the last four decades tennis has given me a lotAs a young boy I wanted to represent India to emulate what my father had done to win an Olympic medal I wanted to prove hum bhi jeet sakte hain that we can also win and not just in hockey but in an individual sport I gave up my passion for football to play tennisPaes also fondly recalled his memories of playing in the WimbledonToday the joy that Wimbledon brings to me is that Indias name is up on the scrolls Right next to my name it reads Leander Paes India To see India there brings me great joyLeander Paes has won five Wimbledon senior titlesWith PTI inputs