"Golf Gave Me A Sense Of Peace": Leander Paes At NDTV Golf Pro-Am Launch

An 18-time Grand Slam champion, Leander Paes spoke in detail about his love for golf while gracing the launch event of the new season of the NDTV - AM Green IGPL Golf Pro-Am. Paes reflected on how golf helped him rediscover his passion for sport after retiring from tennis and provided him with solace during one of the toughest chapters of his life. The 53-year-old, who won eight men's doubles and 10 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, pointed out how golf became his version of switching to another sport after retiring from tennis.

"I think most athletes, when we retire from our first sport, we're looking for another sport, and golf is the perfect way to find competition, to find camaraderie, and yet to Feed your creative side. So I play golf because it gives me a lot of solace away from my business and my work. I also found golf while I was looking after both my parents. When I moved back to Calcutta, I was taking care of dad, taking care of mom, and the golf course gave me a sense of peace that allowed me to get through those hard times," said Leander Paes.

Paes also drew parallels between golf and tennis, but insisted that golf offers a level of freedom unmatched by the latter, largely because it is played outdoors.

"Golf is very similar to tennis in the fact that it's an individual game. In golf, you do have a caddie, but you generally have to think your shots through yourself. And the creativity of golf is what I love. Whether you shape the ball from left to right or whether you shape it right to left, for someone like me who learned golf at a very late, late age, you can play a lot of high shots. There's no ceiling on a golf course, right?" he said.

He further explained that golf allows players far greater freedom in how they approach and execute shots, unlike tennis, which places physical limitation on shot making.

"In tennis, when you're playing indoors, you do have a ceiling there, so you can't just hit it any height you want. But with golf, I control my yardage just with the, uh, the apex of the ball. Uh, that being said, golf is also very confusing because of the equipment - the grips, the size of the grips, the shaft, the stiffness of the shaft, the length of the shaft, the lie, the loft. There's so much into it."

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