New Delhi: Leander Paes and Martina Navratilova Leander Paes and Martina Navratilova Getty Images
In a rare appearance together, India’s top tennis stars led by world number one Sania Mirza, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will play an exhibition match in the capital on November 27 along with the legendary Martina Navratilova.
The quartet will play in four cities in a four ‘Test’ series and conduct clinic for budding players before the matches. The other cities expected to host these matches are Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Sania and Bhupathi, who won two Grand Slam titles together, will take on the pairing of Paes and Navratilova, the 58-year-old American who won 18 singles Grand Slam titles.
The initiative was taken by the players themselves in their bid to promote tennis in the country. It has been learnt that Sania and Leander discussed it first and then also spoke to Bhupathi about the initiative. “Yes we are preparing for the big day. It’s great that players thought about such an initiative. We are gearing up to host the match,” Col. Ranbir Chauhan, DLTA Director (Operations) said on the sidelines of sub-junior national tennis championship.
The match will be a three-set affair and the organisers have planned to conduct it in the evening so that more people can be drawn into the R K Khanna stadium.
PTI