Leander Paes, Vijay Amritraj celebrated at International Tennis Hall of Fame

It was a stroll down memory lane for Leander Paes as he, accompanied by his family, did a museum walkthrough at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport.

Among Leander’s memorabilia which will be now on display at this quaint, rich oceanfront town in the US East Coast is his most cherished possession – his 1996 Atlanta Olympics bronze medal.

“The main reason I started playing sport was to emulate my dad who won an Olympic (bronze in Munich 1972) medal. My parents were there (in Atlanta), and they mean the world to me. Both of my siblings gave up a lot for me. I am here because of all the love and support I got from so many people,” Leander, struggling to hold onto his tears, said in a hall crammed with his well-wishers.

The Atlanta victory, against Brazilian Fernando Meligine in the bronze medal match, catapulted Leander into Indian sports folklore. A country starved of success at the Olympics suddenly had a new hero who was not a cricketer.

Leander’s triumph made a generation of Indian athletes’ belief that they too could compete with the best. And since that historic medal, India has never returned from the Olympics emptyhanded, an ignominy which was otherwise a regular affair for the nation.

Leander always wore his heart on his sleeves on the tennis court; his emotion and courage as much part of his game as was his lightning quick reflexes at the net. The passion was magnified manyfold when he was playing for India – be it the Davis Cup, Olympics or the Asian Games.

That emotion was here for all to see as he spoke about Martina Navratilova, with who he won two mixed doubles Grand Slams. Navratilova and Leander’s 2003 Wimbledon trophy is also on display.

Calling the 59-time Grand Slam winner his ‘North Star’, Leander said: “She has been my guiding light and has inspired me through longevity of lifestyle – diet, sleep, training methods, recovery. I got a chance to play with her in 2003 and we won the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Playing with her was special as I grew up watching her play in black-and-white television in Kolkata,” Leander said. “And then getting to know her as a person, to win Wimbledon together is special. She is not just a champion of tennis, but she is a champion of life.”

For Vijay Amritraj, inducted in the contributor category, sport has always been a way to unify the world.
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The Wall of Class of 2024, right at the entrance of the Museum in the historic Newport Casino building, commissioned in 1879, will also be the home of another Indian tennis legend. For Vijay Amritraj, inducted in the contributor category, sport has always been a way to unify the world.

“My parents were flying blind when we got into this sport we call tennis. Never knew where it was going to take us. I’ve often said that my greatest talent was being born to the right parents.” Vijay said. “My biggest sadness, I would say, is them not being here with me to be able to share this. But it has been such a monumental task and effort on their part to get me into this situation and make something of me, which I never dreamt about.”

The Hall of Fame, which receives 30000 visitors a year, mostly during the enshrinement weekend in July, will hope to see a rise in footfall as it welcomed two of the greatest champions of the sport from the world’s second most populous nation.