We have a lot to look forward too: Leander

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Sydney: For almost two years, Indian tennis fans entertained hopes of an Olympic medal. Ever since Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi finished close to the top of the World rankings in 1998, Indians have been talking of a doubles medal at Sydney.

Hopes soared even more as the Indians finished 1999 as the World's No. 1 pair and the two players were ranked No. 1 and 2 in the World doubles rankings. A record of four Grand Slam finals in the same year, and two Slam titles on surfaces as different as the red courts of Roland Garros and the grass at Wimbledon, meant the Indian pair was a safe bet for a medal, maybe even gold.

But then the unthinkable happened. The pair split up, citing differences, which were never spelt out. The World could only guess. And that topic became a painful one for the two, who stayed away from each other for nine months, before wiser counsels prevailed and the two came back together for the Olympics.

With differences between the two sorted out, hopefully, the pair refuses to be drawn back onto the topic, but despite the loss in the second round, wishes to sound optimistic.

Leander, the more gregarious and articulate of the two, has continued with his smiling disposition despite the loss, which he admits hurt him. "But life has to go on," he says. Excerpts of an interview:

How would you rate the current season?

Obviously, a rather difficult one. For one, I was laid for three months during which I did not even touch racket. Sure, at one level, I enjoyed the rest, physical and mental, but it also meant very little match practice before coming here.

Off the court we (He and Mahesh) had some problems but all that is fine. I would now like to look ahead.

The Olympics are over, what next?

Yes, sadly, the Games are over for us. But we have a rather busy season ahead of us. There's lot of catching up to do. Hong Kong, Tokyo, Basle are some of the stops for the next few weeks. I am going to have very little rest. Hopefully we will be in good shape by the time the World Doubles come around at the end of the season.

Could this be your last Olympics?

Yes, I said this could be my last Olympics. But at the same time, who knows I may still be around. In fact I might like to have one more shot. Frankly for me, one of the greatest thrills of my life has been to walk into the Olympic Stadium holding India's flag at the Opening Ceremony. And of course I have great moments like winning the bronze medal. Yes, the Olympics have been great for me.

How do you feel about these Olympics (in Sydney)?

Well, obviously disappointed. But we have to be realistic about the way we came into this event with our preparation and so on and so forth. But as far as Mahesh and I myself have worked as hard as we could and we lost to a better team (Woodies) on the day. So I think we need to keep our chins up and keep working hard. It's just a matter of time, before we start winning again.

Do you think, you guys can back to the top?

Certainly, or else I wouldn't be playing. I am sure we can do it again. Right now we are on the right path, but I can feel that we are getting better with each match. We need a little more time and few more events. It will all come back. Mind you both of us have gone through a lot, and there have been injuries, too.

What do you feel about the match against Woodies (Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde) which you lost?

They gave us no chance. They served very well, and I think that was the biggest difference. They must have been in high 80s or 90s (percentage) for first serves. And they didn't give many chances to hit good returns. They were looking in great form. Sad that we ran into them so early, but that's life.

The Woodies plan to split, and won't be around. Any feelings on that?

They have been great for the game. They are among the finest the game has seen. I will miss them. We had great rivalries last year and often we played our best against them. But then all said and done, they have been around for a long time, so they have good reasons to get on with life after tennis.