Leander Paes' decision to skip India's only ATP Tour event, the Chennai Open for the Brisbane International seems justified after all
Leander Paes' decision to skip India's only ATP Tour event, the Chennai Open for the Brisbane International seems justified after all, despite he and Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy having lost in the doubles final yesterday
3-6, 6-7 (5) to Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy and Marc Gicquel.
ADVERTISEMENT
The five-time Olympian said before the start of the USD 372,500 Brisbane tournament that he preferred playing Down Under rather than down south back home as it would help him get used to the Australian conditions.
"I think Lukas and myself have had a very good tournament save the final which was a tough one. But even in the final, I don't think we played badly.
"It's just that our opponents played better. The idea of playing here was to get used to the place.
"I think we have done exactly that," Paes told MiD DAY from Brisbane yesterday.
The Australian Open men's doubles is the only title missing from the 10-time Grand Slam title winner's cabinet.
But his Brisbane showing could help break the jinx.
"Given that Brisbane is the season-opening tournament, it's nice to see us do well here at the beginning of the year.
"We had some tough games en route to the final and more often than not, we came through quite comfortably which is a good sign.
"It's definitely a great start to the year besides being the perfect warm-up for the year's first Slam," he added.u00a0
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
