TRY telling Leander Paes that top-level tennis is a young man's game.
In his 40th year, the Indian has been springing around the US Open with a youthful abandon, and his energy and vigour were rewarded yesterday with an eighth men's doubles grand slam title.
He and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek made light work of the No.2 seeds, Austria's Alexander Peya and the Brazilian Bruno Soares, taking just 72 minutes to record a 6-1, 6-3 triumph.
Beaten a year ago in the final by the Bryan brothers - whose hopes of making history by becoming the first team in the open era to hold all four majors in a calendar year were ended in the semi-final by Paes and Stepanek - they set about ensuring that they went one better and quickly swept to a 5-0 lead, forcing a flurry of errors from their rivals. They stayed in control all the way and, for Paes, a 14th major title - he has contributed to six mixed-doubles titles - proved one of the most special.
"For me, this one is probably even more special than the Australian Open win," said the Indian. "In Australia I was going for a career slam, and it was something that Radek worked so hard to do. We achieved it; he did it for me. It's way up there with some of the best grand slams I have won. Today is my 31st final, and this young man next to me is probably the best partner I have had. I really enjoy travelling with him, working with him, playing with him, working hard to be better."
Stepanek, who has recovered from a series of injury setbacks, is 34, so the pair do not have time on their side. Yet it does not matter. "Both of us just spoke to our fathers," said Paes. "My dad is an Olympian; he won a medal in '72 in field hockey. First thing he told us was, 'You guys keep getting better'. My father is the sort of guy that doesn't rest on his laurels. At 40, at 30, at 100, no matter what your age is, when you have that team, you have that comrade, you have that brother, you go and do your simple daily chores."
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