10 best moments of Leander Paes' career

Leander Paes has been a fine ambassador for the sport of tennis not only in India but all over the world. His achievements on the court speak for themselves and he never seems to get tired to represent India whenever an opportunity presents itself. He is currently part of the Indian Davis Cup team that is taking on Serbia in a World Group playoff tie.Paes and Rohan Bopanna helped India come back into the tie after both Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri had lost their singles matches on the opening day. There have been many instances where Paes has shown resolve to win against all odds. We look at some of the best moments that made Indians proud during his illustrious career.

#10 Junior wins at the US Open and Wimbledon

His success in juniors was seen as a ray of hope for Indian tennis

Leander Paes won the junior US Open and Wimbledon Championships in 1990. He became the No. 1 player in Junior singles.

#9 Victories at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in doubles

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi with the Wimbledon doubles title in 1999

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi became the first Indian pair to win a Grand Slam after capturing the French Open and Wimbledon titles in 1999. They reached the finals of all Grand Slams that year.

#8 Flagbearer at Sydney Olympics

Leander Paes- the flag bearer at Sydney Olympics

The doubles specialist was given the honour to be the flag bearer for the Indian contingent at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

#7 Mixed doubles success with Martina Navratilova

Leander Paes and Martina Navratilova with the Australian Open trophy in 2003

Leander teamed up with the legendary Martina Navratilova to win the Australian Open and the Wimbledon titles in 2003.

#6 Different partner, similar success

Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy with the 2009 French Open trophy

Leander partnered Czech Lukas Dlouhy in 2009 and went on to win the French Open and the US Open doubles titles. He was also a runner-up in the mixed doubles event in the 2009 US Open.

#5 1990 Davis Cup doubles win

India came back from the brink against Japan in Davis Cup

At the age of 16, Leander teamed up with Zeeshan Ali in doubles to beat the Japanese pair in a gruelling five-set encounter.

#4 Prestigious honours

Leander Paes recieves Padma Bhushan from president Pranab Mukherjee

Leander was presented with the Arjuna award in 1990, India’s highest sporting honour- The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 1996, Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Bhushan in 2014.

#3 Career Slam achieved

Leander Paes achieved Career Grand Slam win in doubles with a win at the 2012 Australian Open

Leander paired up with Radek Stepanek to win the 2012 Australian Open doubles title and with it complete the Career Slam (to win all four Grand Slams). They were the first pair to beat the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in one edition of the Australian Open.

#2 Win over Pete Sampras

Leander Paes registered the biggest win by an Indian player in singles after beating Pete Sampras in straight sets

It is arguably one of the biggest upsets by an Indian in men’s singles. Leander beat then World No. 1 Pete Sampras 6-3, 6-4 at New Haven ATP tournament in 1998.

#1 Olympic bronze

Leander Paes with bronze at the Atlanta Olympics

The biggest achievement by an Indian singles player at the Olympics till date has to top our list. Leander became India’s first individual Olympic medallist since the 1952 Helsinki Olympics where KD Jadhav won bronze in wrestling.