MARGAO
“As a community, we can come together and 100 percent build an Olympic champion from Goa,” said Indian tennis legend Leander Paes, who further stated that he is considering opening an academic sports school in Goa in the next 18 months to aid in this endeavour.
Speaking at a meet-and-greet at the B.P.S Hall in Margao, on the sidelines of the ongoing Baale BPS Open 2025 tennis tournament, Paes said his goal is to empower the youth with access to sporting facilities that also factor in mental, emotional and physical health.
Recipient of several prestigious accolades and world records, a few of Paes’ honours include being the first Asian man to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and an Olympic Games medal winner. He is also regarded as one of the greatest doubles tennis players of all time.
“Even after 40 years of playing professional tennis, my passion is to empower the youth through sport, to take up an Olympic sport, mainly tennis, and create training centres for the youth, where they can not only play in professional playing arenas, but also get knowledge of sports science,” stated Paes.
Paes, one of Goa’s most treasured sporting icons as his father Vece Paes hails from South Goa, highlighted the innate family-oriented spirit of Goa that shaped him into the sportsman he is today, and is fueling his drive to encourage children to take up sports professionally.
“As much as some of us have had to travel because of our education, work and our sport, because of the facilities, infrastructure and knowledge we need to avail to become an Olympic champion, our hearts are always at home. My roots, upbringing, flavours of the cuisine I prefer, fashion, heart and mind will always be that of a Goan boy,” expressed Paes.
Paes offered tennis enthusiasts and young players advice on how to succeed in the sport, saying: “I have lost 74.3 percent of every tennis match I have played, and have won only 25.7 percent. The key message is that in life, you may lose more than you win, but make your wins count”.
