Leander Paes

Leander Paes is an Indian former professional tennis player, widely regarded as one of the greatest doubles players of all time and the first Asian man to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

He won eight men's doubles and ten mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, and he is one of only three men in the Open Era to achieve a Career Grand Slam in both men's and mixed doubles.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Leander Adrian Paes was born on June 17, 1973, in Calcutta, West Bengal, India. He stands 178 cm tall and he plays right-handed with a one-handed backhand. He currently resides in Mumbai.

Paes comes from an athletic family; his father, Vece Paes, and his mother, Jennifer Paes, were both accomplished sports figures. His great-great-grandfather was the Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt.

For his outstanding contributions to Indian tennis, he has received some of India's highest honors, including the Arjuna Award in 1990, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 1996–1997, the Padma Shri Award in 2001, and the Padma Bhushan prize in 2014.

Professional Career

Paes turned professional in 1991 and established himself as a doubles specialist. He achieved the World No. 1 doubles ranking in June 1999. In that same year, he and his partner, Mahesh Bhupathi, became the first pair in Open Era history to reach the men's doubles finals of all four majors in a single calendar year.

Paes holds a career Grand Slam in both men's and mixed doubles and won the rare men's and mixed doubles titles at the Wimbledon Championships in 1999. His mixed doubles Wimbledon title in 2015 made him the second man in history, after Rod Laver, to win Wimbledon titles in three different decades.

Paes had a historic singles achievement at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, where he won a bronze medal for India in men's singles. This made him the first Asian in Olympic history to win a tennis medal and the only Indian to do so to date. He holds the unique distinction of being the only tennis player to compete in seven consecutive Olympic Games, from 1992 to 2016.

He is also the most decorated male tennis player in Asian Games history, with five gold and three bronze medals, and is the highest Indian gold medal-winning athlete across all sports in Asian Games history. He also holds the record for the most doubles wins in Davis Cup history, with 45 victories.

Paes officially retired from professional tennis in 2020 after a 30-year career. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July 2024.

Career Record

Singles

• Career record: 101–99
• Career titles: 1
• Highest ranking: No. 73 (August 24, 1998)

Best Grand Slam Singles Performances

• Australian Open – 2R (1997, 2000)
• French Open – 2R (1997)
• Wimbledon – 2R (2001)
• US Open – 3R (1997)

Other tournaments (Singles)

• Olympic Games – W (1996)

Doubles

• Career record: 770–457
• Career titles: 55
• Highest ranking: No. 1 (June 21, 1999)

Best Grand Slam Doubles Performances

• Australian Open – W (2012)
• French Open – W (1999, 2001, 2009)
• Wimbledon – W (1999)
• US Open – W (2006, 2009, 2013)

Other tournaments (Doubles)

• WTA Tour Finals – F (1997, 1999, 2000, 2005)
• Olympic Games – SF – 4th (2004)

Mixed Doubles

• Career titles: 10

Best Grand Slam Mixed Doubles Performances

• Australian Open – W (2003, 2010, 2015)
• French Open – W (2016)
• Wimbledon – W (1999, 2003, 2010, 2015)
• US Open – W (2008, 2015)

Team competitions

• Davis Cup – 93 total victories (45 in doubles), W (2004)
• World Team Tennis – Male MVP (2009, 2011)