The Sports-India Community

Yes, Somdev/Mahesh just went away without making any announcements. Hope same is not the case with Leander. He is part of Asian games team. So, hopefully he will play there and sign off with a medal there.

A quiz question for the forum: Which Indian has the maximum number of Asian Games golds? Remember over the years we have had some awesome performers like PT Usha, Milkha Singh etc.

I always thought it was Leander Paes. I just don't know how many. Five? Six?

There was that 12 year period when all Golds we got (except one in hockey?) were manufactured by two individuals - PT Usha and Leander Paes. The 1986-1994 period, I believe... From memory. Need to check.

Leander won 5 Asian Games gold medals, and two bronzes (one in singles in 1994). He didn't participate at the 1998 Asiad, when he was at his peak and could have won all the medals (singles, doubles, team, perhaps even mixed doubles).

PT Usha won 4 gold medals and 7 silver medals at various Asiads.

It is an irony that one of India's most maligned players is the most successful in Asian Games

Maligned? Leander is one of India's most feted sportsmen -- and most deservedly so. Winner of the Rajiv Khel Ratna, Padma Bhushan and Arjuna Award.

I'm with PKB on this. Lee is anything but maligned. However, he has a complex personality that is difficult to decipher. That doesn't deter from any of his professional accomplishments.

PKBasu wrote: ↑Mon Jun 25, 2018 2:01 pm Maligned? Leander is one of India's most feted sportsmen -- and most deservedly so. Winner of the Rajiv Khel Ratna, Padma Bhushan and Arjuna Award.

Maligned by Rohan, Mahesh (when they are fighting) and their cronies

Just because he is not hero worshipped doesn't mean he is maligned.

I think he was quite a hero for quite a while in the Indian sports pantheon (and not just among tennis players).

However, as he has aged and continued to play and compete with some of the younger tennis players for spots on the Indian teams, he's earned their wrath perhaps wrapped around a core of jealousy. I suspect he is still largely well thought of outside some in the Indian tennis circles and their ardent fans...

Sin Hombre wrote: ↑Mon Jun 25, 2018 4:51 pmJust because he is not hero worshipped doesn't mean he is maligned.

I am with this line of thought. Lee is not maligned or anything. Not at all. He is considered a legend and a phenomenon by everybody, including the Maheshs and Rohans out there. But many of them do not worship him as an unquestioned hero; And to be frank, Lee himself, with the conundrums and inconsistencies in his behavior and logic, is the reason for much of that. Just like many geniuses in the past have been, in all fields of life.

Don’t want to belabor this too much. But Mahesh and Rohan are reluctant to admit that Leander is a legend. They would prefer to focus on doubles and belittle LP as being little better or different to MB in doubles achievement. Of course, what makes LP a legend in the history of Indian sport is what he achieved in singles — bronze at Atlanta being the first Indian individual medal since KD Jadhav in 1956, Frejus, Newport, Sampras in Connecticut, Goran on grass, etc. Plus the MD and MxD Slam titles, an add-on for him, while they were the sum total for MB. Not in the same league!

(The funny thing is that Jay actually knows LP, I don’t; just met him once in a lift at the Taj hotel in Mumbai and chatted very briefly; I’ve spent much more time with Sania and family, Harsh, Yuki, Somdev, Divij, Purav, Rohan, Vishnu, and online with RamK and Prajnesh).

Leander is playing in the Chicago Challenger partnering Mexican, Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela ... In the first round, they had a very close win against Ruan Roelofse and John-Patrick Smith ... In the quarters, they scored the straight-sets win over American wild-card pair ... They r facing Ruben Gonzales and Nathaniel Lammons in the semis.

At $150K+H Chicago Challenger 2018, USA

[R1] (1) Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) bt Ruan Roelofse (RSA)/ John-Patrick Smith (AUS) 76(4) 67(4) 10-7
[QF] (1) Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) bt (WC) Marcos Giron (USA)/ Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (USA) 76(4) 61

[SF] (1) Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) vs Ruben Gonzales (PHI)/ Nathaniel Lammons (USA)

Amazing that Leander still finds the motivation to play and do well in Challengers -- and to find new partners to pair up with! Miguel-Angel won the Los Cabos ATP title last month, and is now at a career high doubles rank of 49.

[SF] 1-Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) d. Ruben Gonzales (PHI)/ Nathaniel Lammons (USA) 67(5) 76(4) 10-5

Another big Challenger final takes Leander to 69 in the live rankings. Definitely would have been the ideal choice for Davis Cup.