India’s present best tennis player Leander Paes was born on June 17, 1973 in Kolkata. When he was merely six years old he started playing tennis, although his first passion was football. His passion for football was so intense that he used to sleep with his boots under the pillow.
His most memorable moments in his career came during the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. He won the bronze medal by defeating Fernando Moligeni. His victory was all the more sweet because he was only the second Indian to win an individual medal at the Olympics. Even in the semi-final he was a treat to watch, as he was up against Andre Agassi, a formidable opponent.
Pairing with his compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi, Leander Paes has achieved what no other Indian sportsperson has done in her (his soortins: career. Leander and Mahesh Bhupati entered the finals of all the four Grand Slam events in 1999 and won the French Open and US Open. He has pulled off some amazing upsets in the Davis Cup too.