Leander Paes once again proved he is the pied-piper of Indian tennis.
On a charged-up afternoon in Mumbai in April, he brought out the passion and aggression and special rapport he shares with his audience to script a heady victory for India. Returning to singles action after a year, the 33 year old battled rising heat and cramps to beat Pakistan's Aqeel Khan 6-4, 7-6(4), 3-6, 0-6, 6-1 in the deciding rubber of the Davis Cup Group 1 relegation play-off.
The memorable win capped an emotional week for Paes, who became a father ahead of the Cup tie.
There was individual glory also in store for Paes as he, along with partner Martin Damm, claimed the US Open doubles crown. The Indo-Czech pair beat second seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 to win their first Grand Slam.
Paes-Damm had also reached the final of the Australian Open and won the ATP Ordina Open in the Netherlands.
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Image: Leander Paes (left) and Martin Damm with the US Open men's doubles trophy.
Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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