Leander Paes after beating Pakistan: Couldn't have scripted it better

Veteran tennis star Leander Paes and non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal receive a warm welcome on their arrival in New Delhi yesterday. Pic /PTI

Indian tennis stalwart Leander Paes has said that he will reassess his Davis Cup future after the tie against Croatia in March next year. The Indian Davis Cup team landed in Delhi during the wee hours of Monday after securing a 4-0 win against Pakistan at the neutral venue of Kazakhstan on Saturday.

Paes was asked about the physical and mental challenges he has to cope with. "Physically, it is not tough because doubles have three short sets. You got a tie-break at 6-all and the scoring format is very quick. It is an hour and a half or two hours. Experience carries me through, but I should not be playing past another year. I am already 46. I should have been moved out by the next generation coming up," Paes said.

Talking about his last-minute assignment against Pakistan, Paes said: "It was very nice…the way the tie came together. I couldn't have scripted it better. My reason for playing this Davis Cup tie was to make sure India as a team and as a nation did not forfeit a tie with players not going to Islamabad."

Paes revealed that playing in extreme cold conditions in Kazakhstan was a lifetime experience for him. "I have never played in such cold conditions. It was minus 31."

He added: "We played indoors. There was heat and warmth but it was miserably cold outside. It was a bit of a challenge. You always have to acclimatise. For that, we would like to thank the Kazakhstan Tennis Association for their hospitality. We were not playing against Kazakhstan, the match was between India and Pakistan after all. We are grateful."

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