Player: Shivam Khanna; Coach and hitting partner: Leander Paes.

That was the rather unlikely scene at the Calcutta South Club on Friday evening, when Paes spent a couple of quiet hours at his “home”.

Having declared this year to be his final year on Tour, the iconic Paes — Lee to his friends — knows well enough that he will never play a competitive match at the century-old club again.

“But South Club will always be home. I may not play another competitive match here, but there are wonderful memories. And I can always drop in to practise here whenever I am in the city,” Leander told The Telegraph, even as old retainers of the club kept on coming up to wish him. And Leander, remembering everyone by name, shook hands and obliged with selfies, even as he kept asking them about their well-being.

He did miss the South Club centenary programme held on February 15, but that was because he was playing his last ATP tournament in India, in Bangalore, where he ended runner-up.

“It was great reaching the final. It was great to beat the finalists of the Maharashtra Open (Jonathan Erlich and Andrei Andrei Vasilevski), in the semis. It was also a nice feeling to have defeated Divij (Sharan) in Pune,” Paes said. Even as he spoke, the intensity that he still feels about being on court was palpable.

Paes reminisced about the Davis Cup match against Switzerland, way back in 1993, that India won 3-2. That huge upset was kicked off by Paes defeating Jakob Hlasek in three sets in the first rubber. “This was the very court on which I defeated Hlasek,” Leander said, standing on the court.

Leander and Ramesh Krishnan had won the doubles against Hlasek and Marc Rosset, while Krishnan wrapped up the tie for India winning the final rubber against Hlasek. Rosset, on his part, had won both his singles against the Indians.

“This court of course was grass back then,” the icon said. Does it make him sad to see South Club, known as the Wimbledon of the East, reduce the number of grass courts now?

“Not really. I think it is fantastic that one tennis club has all three — grass, clay and hard — courts. Also there are proper lights, so you can play anytime you want,” he said.

In the city on a personal trip, Leander is all set to play the Dubai Open. And then there is the Davis Cup World Group Qualifiers away tie against Croatia, to be played in Zagrev on March 6-7.

Paes, who came back to the Davis Cup squad during the tie versus Pakistan, said: “Croatia will be a tricky match. They are all tough players. But we will give our best. It will be a very competitive match.”

Asked about the Tokyo Olympics, he played a trademark lob. “It is still months away. I have Dubai and the Davis Cup on my mind now,” he said.

As he went back to the court, giving valuable tips to young Shivam, one could only think about how he has changed the very fabric of Indian tennis.

Eighteen Grand Slam titles and an Olympic medal under his belt, it surely promises to be an interesting “One Last Roar.”