On Wednesday, the legendary Leander Paes mourned the fall of Indian tennis, characterizing it as part of the “circle of life” and underlining the importance of patience. The Indian team suffered a 0-4 setback against Sweden in their Davis Cup World Group I match recently, relegating them to the play-off stage for the coming year. “I believe in the circle of life,” stated the former world number one in doubles.
“Circle of Life” in Indian Tennis Great Leander Paes Gives Honest Answers On Current StrugglesPaes urged patience with India’s progress in tennis. Sumit Nagal is currently the sole Indian player in the top 100 of the ATP men’s singles rankings, ranked 83, with Ramkumar Ramanathan following at 332. Rohan Bopanna, 44, remains India’s men’s doubles flag-bearer, currently ranked sixth, alongside another veteran, Yuki Bhambri, at 43.
The WTA rankings show a bleak picture for Indian women’s tennis, with no players in the top 200; the highest-ranked Indian is Sahaja Yamalapalli, at 293. The 51-year-old also noted tennis’ considerable growth in India over the last four decades, citing its rise to become the second most popular sport behind cricket.
“Over the four decades that I played, tennis grew in popularity so much that it became the number two sport in the country after cricket,” said the 18-time Grand Slam champion. Sania, Mahesh, Bopanna, and I have won nearly 40 Grand Slam championships together, as well as Olympic and Asian Games medals. Tennis experienced a golden age that lasted roughly 40 years.
“A little patience is required; the circle of life is being played out. We will have a dip, but we will recover.”The circle of life can be seen in everything, including business. Patience is the most important factor in success.