The specialist

Sir -The Indian tennis star and 41-year-old doubles specialist, Leander Paes, clinched his 15th Grand Slam title partnering Martina Hingis at the Australian Open ("Treat to play with Martina", Feb 2). Hingis and Paes were seeded seventh. The pair, playing their first Grand Slam, beat the defending champions, Kristina Mladenovic of France and Canada's Daniel Nestor. Paes had won the mixed doubles title with Martina Navratilova in 2003. Hingis returned to top-class tennis as a doubles specialist two years ago in the course of her second comeback. She had won the mixed doubles title here with Mahesh Bhupathi earlier.

It is incredible that Hingis made history on the same venue 20 years after her debut. Ever since Sachin Tendulkar hung up his boots, Paes has turned out to be the poster-boy of Indian sports. This was Paes's 32nd Grand Slam final. He is already the oldest male player to have won a major, having achieved that distinction after winning the US Open men's doubles crown in 2013. Paes's triumphs have been evenly spread out. He is also famous for winning tournaments with different partners. Paes has proved, once again, that age is not a factor when it comes to winning Grand Slams. He should be saluted for his efforts.

Yours faithfully,

S.S. Paul, Chakdaha, Nadia

Sir -Novak Djokovic has proved that he is currently the best tennis player in the world. Djokovic played like a true champion right through the Australian Open and won his fifth title in Melbourne Park.

In the final, Andy Murray tried his best against Djokovic but lost the match in four sets. It was a battle of attrition punctuated with long base-line rallies and Djokovic triumphed in the end. After living under the shadow of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Djokovic is finally fulfilling his potential.

In women's singles, the Serena Williams juggernaut continued to roll. Maria Sharapova did everything she could in the final and, yet, she was no match for the American tennis player. It was yet another dominating performance from the best female tennis player of this generation.

Last but not the least, there was Leander Paes who won the mixed doubles final.This man keeps baffling his critics. He has won his 15th title and is still hungry for more.The country should take more notice of Paes's achievements. It should get rid of its unhealthy obsession with cricketers.

Yours faithfully,

Abhiroop Sarkar, Birbhum

? Sir - Leander Paes's incredible feat is a tale of human perseverance and endurance. In a sport where you are considered to be old if you are over 30, Paes's success is almost surreal. Incidentally, Paes hails from a nation that is not known to have produced too many exceptional tennis players. He has now won 15 Grand Slams and his achievements are no less than those of singles' players.

Paes had won the Australian Open with Martina Navratilova a decade back. Now he has done it with the other Martina - Hingis - the former queen of tennis. It is high time we give Paes his due. He should be spoken in the same breath as Sachin Tendulkar or Dhyan Chand. After his latest feat, Paes should be hailed as the 'Father of Indian tennis'.

Yours faithfully, Anoop Hosmath, Mysore

Sir - That India's veteran tennis star, Leander Paes, clinched his 15th Grand Slam title by winning the Australian Open mixed doubles final with Martina Hingis does not exactly come as a surprise. The chess legend, Viswanathan Anand, has brought a number of laurels to India. The billiard and snooker maestro, Pankaj Advani, too, has won a number of international tournaments. Yet our hearts throb for India's cricketers who have made it a habit of failing miserably on foreign soil.

What is significant is that Paes, who is a master in the doubles format, joined forces with Hingis recently. But they have come up with a Grand Slam triumph quite early in the partnership. At the moment, all eyes in India are on the upcoming World Cup. Consequently, Paes's Australian Open victory has not cut much ice among India's sports lovers. Tennis is a popular sport around the world. Cricket, on the other hand, is played only by a handful of nations.

It is a pity that that there is none in India who can hope to replace Paes at the moment. Hence, Paes remains India's best hope in the 2016 Olympics. Paes has fulfilled the wishes of India's tennis fans on a number of occasions. His stature in sports is equivalent to that of Dhyan Chand, Anand and Sachin Tendulkar. Paes, undoubtedly, has been a great achiever. What's more, he continues to inspire other sportspersons to give their best.

Yours faithfully,

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

Sir - Leander Paes should be congratulated for winning the 15th Grand Slam title of his career. He has made the whole of India proud in the process. Many Indians fondly remember his performance at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. The 41-year-old Paes has shown indomitable spirit and dogged determination. These two traits are the key to his success even at this age.

Paes, a former world number one in doubles, has a stupendous track record and an impressive winning ratio. He has won a high percentage of the matches that he has played on the international circuit. Of his doubles crowns, 15 have been Grand Slam tournaments. Here's wishing Paes the very best for the French Open tournament.

Yours faithfully,

Indranil Sanyal, Calcutta