Calcutta: By his own admission, Leander Paes wouldn’t have been in Shanghai under normal circumstances. His finger injury has just about healed and the doctor gave him the go-ahead to play the ATP Masters Cup Doubles Championship just a day before he boarded the flight to China.

“The finger’s better, but yes, I’m a bit under-strength going into a tournament… Needed about 10 days more for full strength. I wouldn’t have been playing had it been any regular Tour event,” Paes revealed to The Telegraph from Shanghai.

The season-ending Masters Cup is, after all, the most prestigious (and one of the most lucrative) championships, besides the four Grand Slams. This is the event every tennis pro strives to get an entry into by logging wins and points throughout the year.

“Martin (Damm) and I have worked very hard in our first year together and achieved some very fine results… qualifying for the Masters is the prize we’ve got for our consistency… I can’t let my partner down, have to give it a shot, even though I’m not in the best of condition,” said Paes.

For a four-time Grand Slam doubles champion, it’s a bit strange that he hasn’t won the Masters Cup crown even once despite qualifying for this elite eight-team event eight times (he couldn’t play the 2003 meet following a brain lesion). But with his preparation not being perfect (he was off tennis for nearly three weeks), will he be able to break the jinx this time?

“Let’s see how it goes, I hope my finger holds up for the week. I have to be careful not to do any more damage as another long year is coming up,” said Paes a tad cautiously.

Paes and Damm open against Paul Hanley and Kevin Ullyett on Sunday. “We beat them in the quarters at Wimbledon and semis at US Open, we have the mental edge over them,” said Paes, sounding a bit more confident.

They also have to contend with Bryan twins Bob and Mike. “Everyone knows they are a very solid team, we haven’t played them recently but I have a good record against them over the years,” Paes observed.

As for their third opponents in Red Group (Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram), Paes said the Israelis are an unpredictable pair. “One day they can play some fantastic tennis, next day they will be very ordinary. Having said that, no team can be taken lightly. Each pair is in Shanghai to end the year on a real high.”

Paes and Damm will need to win at least two matches to harbour hopes of making semis.