My eyes are on bringing Olympics to India: Leander Paes

Leander Paes unveils his ambitious plan to revolutionize Indian tennis, nurture young talent, and champion India's bid to host the Olympic Games.

Tennis great Leander Paes has expressed his intention to bring more quality tennis to India and also support the country's bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games.

Paes, one of the most decorated players in Indian tennis history, has played a key role in multiple Davis Cup campaigns. However, he believes it is time to step forward and actively shape the future of the game by nurturing young talent in India and bring former players back into the game.

"For many years, I stood in the back and supported the Davis Cup teams, nurtured young talent, but I feel that now if I want to be the change, then someone has got to come out and really support the kids from the forefront. So my first endeavour in that is to work as president of Bengal Tennis," Paes said.

Paes added that he aims to build a stronger ecosystem for young players by providing better facilities, structured mentoring, and opportunities to learn from former professionals.

"From there, it's about creating a better ecosystem for young kids to nurture their talent, while also bringing ex-athletes back into the game. To provide them with opportunities to run their academies and share their skills and knowledge with young people. Likewise, with the All India Tennis Association, to come in and support grassroots-level talent searches and nurture that talent," he added.

Paes' Vision For Indian Sports And Olympics

Paes also spoke about his long-term vision for Indian sport, saying tennis would be his starting point but not the final goal. He expressed his ambition to host the Olympics in India and pledged support for national initiatives such as the Khelo India movement.

"So, for me, I'm starting with my sport, which is tennis, but my eyes are on bringing the Olympics to India and, at the same time, supporting the Top Scheme and the Khelo India movement through the sports fraternity and the sports ministry. I feel that sport can really unite a nation, bring an entire country together, and truly move a country's GDP," he said.

He also praised the Indian Davis Cup team after their impressive victory over the Netherlands by 3-1 in the Qualifier Round 1.

"It was fantastic to see the Indian Davis Cup team pull off a stunning upset by defeating the Netherlands. I was part of the team when we beat Holland in Jaipur. And then seeing them come and do it in Bangalore was just a real thrill," he said.

Paes reserved special praise for Suresh Dhakshineswar, who emerged as one of the standout performers for India against the Dutch, winning both his singles matches.

Playing only his second Davis Cup tie, the 25 year old came good when it mattered most, winning both his singles rubbers and combining with Yuki Bhambri to win the doubles, a rare feat in Indian Davis Cup history.

Ranked 465 in the world, Suresh wrapped up the fifth match with a brilliant crosscourt drive to the open backhand of Guy den Ouden, a player ranked 303 places above the Indian.

The achievement evoked memories of Leander Paes' heroic effort against Japan in 2004 when the legend had swept all three matches he played -- two singles and the doubles -- single-handedly steering India to victory.

"I think Suresh is a great ambassador for India. I think he's going to be a fantastic Davis Cup player because he played with heart, he played with a lot of heart. And to see him come out and win all three matches, equalling and bettering my feat that I had done many times in Davis Cup, to win all three matches, my heart goes out to him and his team, his family. And he's just a great kid to see coming up. So I'm very excited to watch Davis Cup all over again," Paes added.