Leander Paes

He once dated the Bollywood actress Mahima Chaudhary but the relationship did not work out.

He later began a relationship with Rhea Pillai who was once married to Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt. The couple has a daughter. Leander has separated from his partner and is currently a single father.

He was born to Goan parents in Kolkata where he was raised. His father Vece Paes was a hockey player who participated in the 1972 Olympics while his mother Jennifer had captained the Indian basketball team.

He completed his schooling from La Martiniere and then went to the St. Xavier’s College.

Leander formed an early interest in tennis and enrolled at the Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy in Madras in 1985. His coach was Dave O’Meara who played a key role in grooming him.

As a teenager he won the 1990 Wimbledon Junior title and became the No.1 ranked world junior for a while.

He turned professional in 1991 and the very next year he along with Ramesh Krishnan reached the quarter finals of the doubles event in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

He did India proud at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics by winning the bronze medal which he clinched after beating Fernando Meligeni. It was India’s first individual medal in more than 40 years.

The year 1996 was an eventful year for him as this was the year he first partnered with another Indian player Mahesh Bhupathi. The Paes-Bhupathi partnership would prove to be a very successful one.

In 1998 the Paes-Bhupathi team reached the semifinals of three Grand Slams—the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open. The very same year he won two singles in the ATP tour.

Paes and Bhupathi won both the French Open and the Wimbledon in 1999 and became the first Indian pair to win a doubles event at the Grand Slam. Paes became the No.1 player in doubles ranking.

Leander Paes has an astounding eight doubles and six mixed doubles Grand Slam title wins. He also won a bronze medal for India in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Grand Slam Doubles title: Australian Open (2012), French Open (1999, 2001, 2009), Wimbledon (1999), US Open (2006, 2009, 2013). Grand Slam Mixed Doubles titles: Australian Open (2003, 2010), Wimbledon (1999, 2003, 2010), US Open (2008)

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports presented him with the Arjuna Award in 1990 for his achievements in sports.

He was honored with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting award in 1996-97 for his numerous contributions to tennis.

He was given the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, in 2001 for his contributions to tennis in India.