Match against Suzuki
best ever: Paes

Indian tennis ace Leander Paes on Tuesday rated his victory over Japanese No. 1 Takao Suzuki, in the crucial second singles match in the second round Davis Cup Asia Oceania Zone Group I tie, as his "best ever" and attributed the country's 3-2 triumph to "team effort".

Paes, who along with the other members of the Indian Davis Cup team arrived in Bombay from Japan in the early hours of Tuesday, said: "Suzuki was in good form after winning a few events before this tie. He played very well and was a tough nut to crack. I think this was one of the best I have played."

He admitted that while he had no problems in the opening singles against Yaoki Ishii, the match against Suzuki, which lasted four hours and eleven minutes, was very tough.

"I rate this win even higher than the one against Goran Ivanisevic, in 1995, which had lasted 12 minutes more than this," he said.

The 27-year-old Olympic bronze medallist also informed that the quality of tennis played by the Japanese was very high. Thus, he said, the doubles, in which he teamed with Mahesh Bhupathi, also went to five sets.

The Indian pair won the doubles rubber to take a crucial 2-1 lead on Saturday.

"We expected the match to be tough and I think both of us played quite well after trailing 1-2," said the former world No. 1 doubles player.

Paes, however, played down his efforts which shaped India's win -- he won both his singles and played a stellar role in the doubles victory -- saying: "It was team effort, as usual. We won the doubles match and everyone contributed their bit in their own way."