New Delhi: Veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes will not be seen on national duty this year after getting the AITA's nod to take a break for spending more time with his family.
The decision means that the 40-year-old player will not be available for the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Chinese Taipei later this month, the ties after that and the Asian Games.
"The AITA received a communication from Dr. Vece Paes (Leander's father) on the 2nd January 2014 who after consultations with Mr. Anil Khanna shared Leander Paes's reasons to excuse himself from the forthcoming Davis Cup tie against Chinese Taipei, scheduled to be held in Indore from the 31st January," the All India Tennis Association (AITA) said in a statement.
"Leander has also expressed his inability to be a part of other events in 2014. Leander Paes has been an indispensable pillar of the Indian tennis for the past two decades and being a patriot to the core has always stood up to represent his country whenever called for," it added.
The AITA stated that it had no hesitation in granting Paes the break due to his dedication to the national cause for the past 20 years.
