BHUBANESWAR: Winning an Olympic medal is more valuable then a 100 Grand Slam titles, said tennis legend Leander Paes here on Wednesday.
Speaking at the 4th Motivational Talk programme organised by Eastern Media Group, the seven-time Olympian appreciated the way Odisha Government is promoting sports. Winner of 18 Grand Slam titles, Paes who was here earlier for the Hockey Men’s World Cup, said: “The State Government has put up an incredible effort to host such world-class sporting event here.”
For someone coming from a family of sports, mother being a basketball player and father, hockey player, making it big in the world of games was the only dream.
“I wanted to emulate my parents and started playing football in my early days and also got a chance to play for the national team.
At the age of 11, I was selected for Barcelona Junior Club but with a condition that I would have to surrender my Indian passport,” said Paes.
After that, he chose tennis to give wings to his dream of winning Olympic medals for the country.
His first big win was Wimbledon Junior title with which he grabbed the first spot in junior world ranking and there was no looking back.
In his advice to young players, Paes asked them to follow their dreams, work hard with determination and perseverance. “In a crucial match, it hardly matters how perfect you are or how strong your technique is. All that matters is playing better than your opponent and play as if it’s your last match,” he said.
Paes, who is playing his final year of professional tennis in a career of 30 years, said his second innings of life will be dedicated to spreading message on sports education to build a better India.
Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy said the life journey of Paes is an inspiring one. Though he won Olympic medal in 1996, his passion for winning a match is the same even after 24 years.
Among others, Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik and Eastern Media Managing Director Monica Nayyar Patnaik were present.