The 46-year-old Leander who is known as one of the best exponents of volley could be seen hitting no-look volleys in a short video posted by the ATP.Paes, however, went one step further as he decided to play with a frying pan -- and without looking at the ball!.
Leander's Frying Pan Challenge came a day after Switzerland tennis wizard Roger Federer posted a video of himself volleying, while slamming the ball on the wall. He also urged fans and celebrities, including the likes of Virat Kohli, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, etc to take up the challenge.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here’s a challenge for you guys while we’re in lockdown! How many can you do? <br><br>I’m challenging all of you out there. Send in your entries with the <a >#FryingPanChallenge</a>, tag me, and I’ll share the best few! ????<a >#TennisAtHome</a> <a >#StayHomeStaySafe</a> <a >#NoLookVolley</a> <a >#LockdownChallenge</a> <a >pic.twitter.com/V2rDlfEY4v</a></p>— Leander Paes (@Leander) <a >April 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Even Mahesh Bhupathi, who formed a highy succesful doubles team with Paes in men's doubles at the ATP tour, was in awe of the veteran tennis star. Quoting the video, Bhupathi wrote, "Man can volley with anything."
Sportspersons around the world are finding unique ways to interact with the people through social media. While former England batsman Kevin Pietersen is conducting Instagram live sessions with fellow cricketers to talk about cricket and life, many are also taking part in Q&A sessions on social media platforms.