Leander Paes reminisces about being in the zone that night in Atlanta – Olympic Channel

Indian tennis ace Leander Paes recollects what went through his mind en route to the nations first individual Olympic medal in 44 years.

Ever so often, there comes a time when the stars align in perfect symmetry for athletes to do no wrong. The zone, as it's commonly known, isn't frequent but it is the holy grail for athletes as Leander Paes found out at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

After losing the first set and when I was serving at 1-2 and 30-40 in the second set, something magical happened. I got into what we athletes call the zone where you dont really remember what happened for that 45-minute period, Leander Paes shared in an exclusive chat with the Olympic Channel.

Down a set against Fernando Meligeni in the bronze medal match at Atlanta 1996 and staring down the barrel with a break-point to save in the second set, Leander Paes shared exactly how he went on to bring home Indias first individual Olympic medal in 44 years.

When I saved the break-point, won that game 2-2, won the second set and served for the match at 5-4 in the third, I got into a zone, he said recalled still trying to make sense of that magical night at Atlanta, now steeped deep in Indian sports folklore.

I dont even remember the points because I was in such a trance. Thats why I talk about a mystical and magical experience when you play for 1.4 billion people. When you go out to play the Davis Cup or the Olympics, its a different feeling altogether, he added.

Athletes across multiple disciplines have spoken of being in the zone in the past. Its believed to happen when an individual enjoys a supreme state of focus that allows them to compete at their peak.

In essence, when Leander Paes and other athletes have been in the zone, they were completely immersed in their craft and absorbed by what they were doing to the point where only they and their objective existed in the nexus of space and time.

Getting to that state isnt easy or frequent but Leander Paes believes much of it is mind over matter, as he discovered in 1996 Atlanta.

After losing to (Andre) Agassi in the semis (where he had ruptured a few tendons in his wrist), I was in a hard cask for 24 hours and the morning of the bronze medal match where I came to play Fernando Meligeni, I realised that it was more mind over matter on that day, Leander Paes explained.

For all his mental strength and tenacity, its worth pointing out that Leander Paes did prepare for the 1996 Olympic Games meticulously.

You know, I prepared for Atlanta very specifically. As soon as (1992) Barcelona finished, I spent four years preparing for Atlanta.

I even took time off the Pro tour to play in tournaments that have high altitude. It resembled the conditions that were there in Stone Mountain, Atlanta. I played in all the hard courts with high altitude in South America, he added.

When he eventually did get to Atlanta, though, the draw wasnt very kind to him.

When I got to Atlanta, I saw that I had drawn Pete Sampras in the first round and all my contemporaries were tapping me on the back and telling me bad luck, its a tough draw. But I somehow felt that there was a magic about Atlanta.

There was something magical and mystical which is very hard to put into words. But Pete Sampras pulled out, as history will tell, and Richey Reneberg came in for him and I beat him in three sets.

As it turned out, Leander Paes instincts of something magical unfolding at Atlanta proved to be bang on the money. His bronze in the singles that year is still the nations only medal in tennis at the Olympics. Its also a source of goosebumps to the million Indians, who can still recall his finest hour.

Trying to articulate how I feel gives me goosebumps even in a warm room because the magic of playing for my fellow Indians far supersedes when I play for myself in an individual tournament, the seven-time Olympian said.

With the 2020 Olympics just around the corner, Leander Paes will be hoping for one last hurrah in his final year as a professional in the tennis circuit. And Regardless of whether he can find the zone again, you can rest assured that a billion Indians will be backing him to conjure another magical date with destiny in keeping with that transcendental night at Atlanta.

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Leander Paes reminisces about being in the zone that night in Atlanta - Olympic Channel