Veteran Leander Paes' 23rd appearance at the Wimbledon Championships ended with a first round defeat in a gruelling five-setter against Julian Knowle and Philipp Oswald on Wednesday (6).
The combo of Paes and Adil Shamasdin lost 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-7(2) 8-10 to its Austrian rivals in the first round, which was just one minute short of four hours.
In a long-drawn fifth set, Paes and his Canadian partner lost serve at 8-8 and their rivals grabbed the opportunity to serve out the match in the next game.
Paes and Shamadin have won two Challenger level titles together in the 2017 season.
Pakistan's captain Shaheen Shah Afridi holds the trophy during a ceremony at the end of the third and final one-day international (ODI) cricket match against South Africa at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on November 8, 2025. (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)
