Veteran tennis player Leander Paes on Wednesday started training for India’s Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I Tie with Uzbekistan, despite the ever-increasing suspense over the home side’s doubles combination.
The 43-year-old Paes is a reserve member and trained for approximately three hours in the morning, with some junior players and coach Zeeshan Ali giving him company.
The evergreen star put in a real shift at the KSLTA hard courts, working on his serve, forehand and backhand as he built up a good sweat.
"Oh, it feels so great," Paes said during one of the breaks at the practice session.
Paes arrived in the city on Tuesday evening from Mexico amid non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi declining to reveal the doubles combination for the Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan.
Paes and Rohan Bopannna have been kept as reserves by Bhupathi and it is difficult to predict whether the two veterans will get a chance to play. Paes, in particular, is in good form after having won his first Challenger title of the season in Leon, lifting the doubles title in the $75,000 Challenger Tennis Tournament on April 1.
The 43-year-old and his Canadian partner Adil Shamasdin outclassed Luca Margaroli of Switzerland and Brazil's Calo Zamperi 6-1 6-4 in the final.
(With inputs from agencies)