Leander Paes failed to get a record 43rd Davis Cup win after he and partner Vishnu Vardhan lost to Artem Sitak and Michael Venus in the doubles rubber against New Zealand. India still lead the tie 2-1 on the back of Yuki Bhambri and Ramkumar Ramanathan's wins in the first round of singles rubbers on Friday. Jonathan Selvaraj describes the match.
Quite appropriately, Leander Paes is by the net at the end. Artem Sitak is lining up a smash from point blank range. Paes hasn't given up just yet. He is at full stretch on tiptoes, trying to get an outstretched backhand to the ball. He can't. Partnering Vishnu Vardhan, he has lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (8-6) 6-3 to New Zealand's Artem and Michael Venus.
The record for most Davis Cup doubles wins remains out of grasp. Paes will have to share it with another man -- Italy's Nicola Petrongeli, who also has 42 doubles wins.
Paes/Vardhan were underdogs going into the contest. Paes, ranked 64th and Vishnu, ranked 338th, have had about 48 hours of practice going into the match. Michael Venus and Artem Sitak are ranked 36th and 56th respectively. Their team arrived early to acclimatize in Pune. These were not good odds. But not many would have wanted to bet against the 43-year-old Paes. Not in Davis Cup. He's faced sterner challenges here. From countries with far more tennis pedigree. He's beaten players ranked much higher. Come back from two sets and a break down.
Paes doesn't give up. Not even when India are two sets to one down. He fist-bumps Vishnu even as they head to their corner. He revs up the crowd at the stadium in Pune's Balewadi Sports complex, even as it begins to thin in anticipation of defeat. He shields his mouth with hand and mutters strategy to his partner when he is 0-30 down and serving to stay in the match at 2-5 in the fourth. He cracks a smile when New Zealand have match point. He pumps his fist when he saves it. It takes eight minutes, but he secures it and will make New Zealand serve for the match.
It's a glum post matched presser. Asked to analyse reasons for the defeat, Paes smiles and says a few points here and there and the mood could have been completely different here. A fair assessment. India had their chances after dominating the first set.
Paes had started awkwardly. His first eight touches on the ball ended in the point going the way of the New Zealand pair. It was Vishnu, the younger partner, who carried him for the early part of the set. But the years had rolled away steadily. Paes would fling himself in the way of a ball and redirect the volley for a winner to earn a break point. He would win the break threading a shot past his two opponents standing at the net. A roar and a chest bump. Vintage stuff really.
Michael Venus was down 15-40 and his side 0-1 down in the second set. New Zealand were down the same margin at the same point in the third set. At 2-3 down they were 30-40 down again. A total of five break points in the set India would lose 6-7 (8-6).
With a one-set lead, the Indian pair simply didn't go for the kill. "We started playing safely. At this level playing safe is not going to win you matches," Paes said.
The New Zealand pair stood for the most part along the center of the court - daring India to go crosscourt or attempt a passing winner. That rarely happened and the tide turned thereon. Vishnu in particular was targeted by his opponents. His return of service, one of the strongest aspects of his game, was steadily broken down.
Vishnu would say later that Paes told him during the match itself where he was going wrong. He just couldn't execute those plans. "I guess there's always a next time," he said.
That may not be an option for Paes himself. This was not a result he would have wanted. The AITA had hinted at this being his final Davis Cup tie. There was a special felicitation for him ahead of the start of the match. Father Vece Paes had driven down from Mumbai to watch his son play and possibly pick up the record. It's uncertain where Leander goes from here. Non-playing captain Anand Amritraj is due to step down after this tie. Mahesh Bhupathi, who Paes has not always had the easiest of relationships with, will step in.
Paes puts on a brave face about his future. "Whether I am picked or not is not in my hands. But I will always put my best foot forward for India," he says. And while the record remains out of his grasp, he isn't giving up just yet. "The Davis Cup record belongs to India," he says.