KOLKATA: The pandemic has resulted in the sporting calendar going haywire and it has become a challenge for sportspersons to maintain their focus. One can learn a thing or two from Leander Paes on this aspect as the veteran tennis player still looks forward to playing his eighth Olympic Games this summer.
“I don’t know whether the Tokyo Games will happen or not, but it is still in my vision,” he stated on Monday. “I want India’s name in the record books as a tennis player from the country to have played in eight Olympics Games,” he added.
However, the 47-year-old knows it’s easier said than done.
“Staying away from the game for 11 months is not easy. And at this age, it’s twice as difficult,” he said. “I am trying to keep myself in good mental and physical condition and training for about three hours a day.”
The star Davis Cupper’s ranking will also come into play when the Indian Olympic squad is named.
Paes, who is not competing in the Australian Open, aims to play the French Open and Wimbledon before the Olympics.
“Sports in a bubble is very difficult. I did not feel playing in a bubble at this stage of my career is the best thing to do and hence sat out of Oz Open. But I hope by the time French Open happens, Europe will be in a much better position than it is now,” he said.
The 18-time Grand Slam winner rated Serbian Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams as favourites to win this year’s Australian Open beginning next month.