All depends on how an individual handles the occasion: Leander Paes
New Delhi, Jan 29 : India's star tennis player Leander Paes said it was a challenge for him to lead his rookie Davis Cup teammates against South Korea in the tough Group 1 Asia/Oceania tie that starts here from Friday.
"We have been in this position a few times, basically leading the team into a tie. The boys are going to have some nerves coming into the tie. I am looking to basically cushion some of that butterflies, the guys will have," the 39-year old Paes told reporters here Tuesday as he joined his team.
Paes practiced for close to two hours with Purav Raja, his doubles partner with reserves Arjun Kadhe and Ashiwn Vijayraghavan at the R K Khanna Tennis stadium.
"It all depends on how an individual handles the occasion. For me call of the day is to tell them how to handle it. I will show them. We have a tough task ahead," Paes added.
Backing his team, Paes said it he was happy to see that his young teammates were pushing him hard.
"Yes there are rookies in our team. The exuberance, the fire is with them, you can see some nerves in them. You can see them looking up to the occasion, which is fresh and nice. This is my 24th year in Davis Cup and it's nice to come into a team that is pushing me hard, getting us to practice hard."
Paes, however, feels the Koreans will be tough.
"Koreans are always a tough bunch. They have a lot of physical fitness, fast as a sporting community. They are always tough opponents. It's a while that I have played Koreans but I expect nothing different this time," he said.