Leander Paes's persona with the India insignia emblazoned on the blue jersey is so overwhelming that it's difficult to consider him caught up with the tedium of the ATP tour.
But, as he has emphasised a few times, the circuit is his "bread-and-butter" and zipping round the world week in and week out hasn't jaded the spirit yet.
So, while the scrutiny over his partnership with Mahesh Bhupathi for the Beijing Olympics is unlikely to end soon -- in fact it is rather getting uglier -- Paes is back in Paris, trying to find his feet on clay and stepping on the tour afresh with new teammate Lukas Dlouhy from the Czech Republic.
"It seems I'm always with the Czech boys," smiled Paes, who has earlier forged successful partnerships with Martin Damm and David Rikl from the east European nation.
Paes had to switch to the 24-year-old Dlouhy mid-season, as his partnership with Australia's Paul Hanley fell through.
"I don't want to dwell too much on that since it is a personal subject for Paul. We didn't have very good results despite playing some good tennis. That's why we has to sit down and look at what was happening and see what we could do for the rest of the calendar," Paes told rediff.com on Monday.
While the Paes-Hanley combination was formed with a lot of expectations, the doubles specialists failed to deliver as a team. Paes, starting the year at 13, has slipped to 24 in the crucial Olympics year, while the Australian has gone down from tied-10th in January to 18.
"Let's not forget that since it's already the middle of the season, most of the good doubles players are taken.
"Lukas is a very talented boy. He is currently ranked 14, I think. He concentrates on his singles, but since he has respect for me, and I, mutually, for him, he agreed to play doubles with me for the rest of the year."
For the Indian veteran, looking for his eighth Grand Slam, and the first since the 2006 US Open, carrying on the tour with a new partner is a minor challenge.
- 'Leander plays above his ability'
"Two weeks ago, in Hamburg, I played with a new partner (Tommy Robredo). We were also playing for the first time and still reached the semi-finals. Really, I think I have done well with several different partners, be it winning the US Open with Martin Damm, doing so well with Mahesh, so reaching the US Open final with David Rikl (in 2004).
"So I'm really excited about the partnership now."
The Indo-Czech duo might have a tricky first round at Roland Garros, as they take on up-and-coming Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana of Thailand.
The Thai twins have an impressive last year behind them and seem to have matured since the doubles final at the Doha Asian Games, which they lost to Paes and Bhupathi despite holding seven match-points.
"Oh, yes, it brings back a lot of memories," says Paes, before jogging down memory lane.
"They had several match-points, six or seven. If I'm not mistaken, Mahesh was serving at 0-40 down and I came out and hit three drop volley winners and went on to win the match [in the third set]."
Apart from his partnership with Dlouhy, another concept he is excited about is the still-nascent Indian Tennis League, being thought up by the All India Tennis Association.
"It is a very nice idea. The idea is still in the structure mode and even I am still learning about the concept. But the AITA approached me and asked for my availability.
"It will be exceptional if the idea takes off. Just imagine if youngsters in India get to practice with players a Mats Wilander or Boris Becker or an Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. The names haven't been confirmed yet but these are some of the players they are trying to get.
"The AITA are trying to get six male and six female international players."
Borrowed from Board of Control for Cricket in India's highly-lucrative and successful Indian Premier League, the Indian Tennis League is looking at getting one male and female player each for six clubs around the country. Though he understands that the ITL is unlikely to repeat the IPL frenzy, Paes is quietly hopeful that the tennis version will be successful in its own right.
"Cricket in India is huge; it's almost like a religion. No other sport can touch it at the moment. They have done an excellent job with the League, giving opportunities to the local players. The local players now have a stage to exhibit their talent and are playing on the same field as the international stars.
"We are trying to give the tennis players similar exposure in tennis. We are learning from the IPL."
Asked about the chances of him partnering Bhupathi at the August Games in Beijing, Paes refused to dwell on the subject.
While controversies and allegations threaten to peg him back, new ideas and partnerships are helping him keep the spring in his stride.
© 2024 Rediff.com -