I want to better my Olympic bronze: Leander Paes

Amanpreet Singh

New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Indian tennis mavin Leander Paes
dished out yet another virtuoso performance to win the US Open
men's doubles trophy, taking his Grand Slam tally to 10, but
his taste for success is far from being cloyed.

He is India's most decorated tennis star and has achieved
almost everything a player can dream of -- 10 Grand Slam
titles, an Olympic medal, Asian medals, most Davis Cup wins, a
Khel Ratna award, Padmashree award -- yet Paes craves for one
more thing.

"I still want to better my Olympic bronze," Paes told PTI
in an interview after winning the US Open men's doubles title
partnering Czech Lukas Dlouhy on Sunday.

"Doing well at the 2010 Asian and Commonwealth Games are
immediate targets for next year," he added.

Paes had ended India's four-decade long wait when he won
a bronze during Atlanta Olympics in 1996. It was India's first
individual medal at Olympics since KD Jadhav's wrestling
bronze in Helsinki Olympics in 1952.

Paes has a coruscating cupboard, which now boasts of 41
trophies including six men's doubles and four mixed doubles
Grand Slam crowns but he is not content with basking in past
glory.

"After a while titles and honours become a bit of a blur.
What one craves for is to be able to give back to the game in
a manner that makes a difference for future players. MORE PTI