Leander Paes Backs IGPL’s Global Vision, Hails Yuvraj Singh’s Role

In a professional career spanning nearly three decades, Indian tennis great Leander Paes won 18 Grand Slam titles and an Olympic medal. Speaking at the launch event of the new season of the NDTV-AM Green IGPL Golf Pro-Am, Paes reflected on the longevity of his career and the factors behind his trophy-laden journey during a chat with NDTV Executive Editor (Sports) Gaurav Gala. Leander said his driving ambition was always to win an Olympic medal for India and prove that Indians could excel on the world stage in any sport.

“I think it’s passion and I think it’s fun. I grew up with parents who built their own legacy, so my focus in life was always to prove that Indians can be world champions at anything. For me, winning an Olympic medal for India meant more than anything else. As a child, I grew up polishing my father’s Olympic medal and dreaming of creating something similar for my country,” said Leander.

“When you win an Olympic medal for the first time, people call it a fluke. When you do it again, they ask, ‘Can you do it once more?’ That’s what motivated me throughout my career.”

Paes, however, admitted that he was fortunate to share the global stage with some of the biggest names in world tennis.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to play alongside some of the greatest partners in the world, from Martina Navratilova and Martina Hingis to my Indian partner Mahesh Bhupathi. No matter who I played with, the goal remained the same: to prove that Indians can be world champions,” he added.

“Proving that Indians can compete with and beat the best in the world has always been my biggest motivation.”

Led by Leander Paes’ vision of grassroots development, wellness and elite performance, his venture, Flying Man Ventures, has come on board as the franchise owner of the Kolkata leg of the IGPL. Speaking about the initiative, Leander credited former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh, one of the league’s founding members, for helping expand the IGPL’s footprint beyond India and giving it a truly global identity.

“First of all, I want to thank the AM-Green IGPL and Yuvi Paaji for helping build this incredible platform. For me, sport is one of the greatest vehicles to educate and empower young people. India has the largest youth population in the world, and empowering more than 250 million children has always been a passion of mine. IGPL gives golfing legends and young players an opportunity to compete while also taking the sport closer to the community.”

“IGPL is a fantastic league because it has a truly global vision. While many of the tournaments are held in India, we are also expanding internationally. We start in Ras Al Khaimah tomorrow, and I think the format has tremendous potential to grow the game and inspire the next generation of golfers.”

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