Kudos to both Leander Paes
and Sania Mirza!
The tennis duo of
Leander Paes and Sania Mirza won the U.S. Open mixed doubles and doubles
crowns, their 17th and fifth Major titles respectively, in the company of
former singles World No. 1 Martina Hingis. It would be remiss not to celebrate the success stories of Paes and
Mirza.
The 28-year-old
Mirza is the first Indian woman to win a WTA tournament, the first to be ranked
inside the top-30, the first to win a Grand Slam of any kind, and the first to
reach the top of world rankings. The last of these came in April this year when
she became the No. 1-ranked doubles player, a position she still holds. These
are the things racquet-wielding young women in India dream of.
The 42-year-old
Paes has been giving longevity a whole new meaning. His competitive zeal and persistence even when the mind and the body no
longer always act in sync have fetched him three Major mixed doubles titles
this year.
One must not
forget that in this great play of resurgence by the Indians. Martina Hingis has
been the common link. She has been taking care of the tennis while Leander was
keeping the energy going. The Swiss connection for India goes beyond stashing
away wealth in a safe haven. The contribution of their partner Ms Hingis for
the magnificient performance of Indians was a big one. She definitely added immense value to their game for achieving such a
grand success.
India is
struggling to produce top-100 singles players. As for mixed doubles, it rarely exists outside the Grand Slams. Tennis is viewed as a rich man's sport. There
is plenty of talent in this huge country. Leander and Sania can start a tennis
academy and train talented players from all backgrounds. The nation will be
grateful to them if they can produce good tennis players who will win medals in
the Olympics.
Sania and Leander
Paes are both great. They have broken various myths. Their continuous hard work
and determination give inspiration to all Indians. They watch dreams, they set
goals to achieve their dreams, they achieve their goals, they never accept
defeat, they follow their coaches, they follow their passion and the result is
in front of us
This "Double
Honour" for India, in the US Open Tennis Mixed Doubles and Women's
doubles, in both the "other" partner being the same Martina Hingis (a
former topmost woman tennis star), is a superb sports achievement, par
excellence. In a population of 1,300 million, the 42 year old Leander Paes and
28 year old Sania have shown that hard work, concentration, determination and
perseverance would ultimately pay.
Congratulations to
both achievers. The entire nation is proud of them. It is hoped that many
youngsters look at these two as role models.
No comments:
Post a Comment