Olympian Jennifer Paes, Leander’s mother passes away

Former India basketball captain and Olympian Jennifer Paes, mother of tennis legend Leander Paes, passed away on Sunday (May 17, 2026) after a prolonged battle with cancer. She was 72.

“She was terminally ill cancer patient and passed away on Sunday. The funeral service was held today at St. Thomas Church in Kolkata,” a family source said.

Born Jennifer Dutton, she was the great-great-granddaughter of noted Bengali poet and dramatist Michael Madhusudan Dutt.

Ms. Jennifer represented India in basketball at the 1972 Munich Olympics and later captained the national team, emerging as one of the prominent figures in Indian women’s basketball.

She belonged to one of India’s most distinguished sporting families.

Her husband, Dr. Vece Paes, was a member of the Indian hockey team that won bronze at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Dr. Paes died in August 2025.

Mr. Leander grew into one of India’s most celebrated tennis players and clinched a bronze medal in men’s singles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He won 18 Grand Slam titles.