Prince Tour Tennis Balls

Paris, France

In a V-neck sleeveless pullover and short shorts, an 18-year-old Indian crouched in anticipation of returning serve and flicked back slices before taking off to the net. No ball hit by his French opponent, Nicolas Kischewitz, passed him in the 1991 boys' final on Court 3 at The Queen’s Club. When the No. 1 junior in the world received the Sam Whitbread Trophy, he did so with a smile; not a hair out of place.

"On the sidelines, in Davis Cup ties, I used to watch how he read the game, " Rohan Bopanna told ATPWorldTour.com. "He can adapt to any situation and take control of it. When he used to play singles, the way he moved from the baseline to the net was a treat to watch."

His unique style, superb volleying and drop shot skills have ensured that he is considered one of the finest Asian talents to play the sport.

Bob Bryan told ATPWorldTour.com, "It’s been a lot of fun to play him over the years. He’s obviously one of the most exciting doubles players. He’s probably got the quickest hands to ever play the game. He plays well in the big occasions with so many partners over the years. He’s won so many big titles."

DOUBLES MATCH WINS LEADERS (Since 1973)

Paes is the eighth player in ATP World Tour history to attain 700 doubles match wins (as of 27 May 2015).

His longevity rivals that of his one-time mixed doubles partner, Martina Navratilova. Yet, incredibly, his career may well have been cut short in 2003, when, after they won Wimbledon, Paes was admitted to a cancer centre, in Orlando, with a suspected brain tumour. At one stage, he was given six months to live. He dealt with the adversity and returned stronger.

"His greatest strengths are that he is mentally very strong, very positive on court and reads the game extremely well, " said Bopanna, his partner in two of India’s Davis Cup doubles rubbers. "He manages to find a way to win."