Praveen Kumar, an aspiring tennis player, was in awe after seeing tennis ace Leander Paes.
Giving the mike to the six-year-old kid, Paes wanted to know what he aims to be and then told him to put ‘a little extra’ effort to become a champion.
Participating in an interactive session with kids playing tennis at Loyola College on Tuesday, Paes had only one advice to the children — whatever you want to achieve, becoming a doctor, astronaut or tennis player, work a “little extra.”
Wanting to fulfill an Olympic dream like his father, Paes said he had started out as a football player but switched over to tennis. His father represented the Indian hockey team at the 1972 Olympics.
As he had disadvantages in height and physique, he had to put “little extra” to reach his goals, Paes said.
When asked about the Aircel Chennai Open, Paes said that playing in Chennai was like playing at home as he stayed for five years on Sterling Road, very close to Loyola College.
He was all praise for Chennaites for their resilience in facing calamities such the 2015 floods and 2016 cyclone.
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