Sania calls Paes 'Toxic Person', Bopanna too slams him for latest comments

New Delhi, Sep 19: It seems battle lines are once again drawn between India's star tennis player Leander Paes and the mixed doubles duo of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna.

India didn't put best mixed team forward in Rio: Paes

In an apparent dig at Sania and Rohan, the 43-year-old legendary tennis player, Paes, on Sunday (Sep 18) told media persons that India did not send its best team in the mixed doubles during Rio Olympics 2016.

Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna had been picked to represent India in the Games and the duo lost in the semifinals before going down in the bronze medal playoff as well.

Both Mirza and Bopanna immediately hit back at the 14-time Grand Slam champion for his latest comments against them. Both the star players took to Twitter to criticise the veteran tennis star for latest remarks without naming him.

Sania apparently called Peas a 'toxic person' while Bopanna termed his statement as an attempt to stay in the news by slanging fellow players.

"The ONLY way to win with a toxic person, is not to play!!! #karmaiswatching #zenmode," wrote Sania.

The ONLY way to win with a toxic person, is not to play!!! #karmaiswatching #zenmode 😇🙏

— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) September 18, 2016

While Bopanna apart from retweeting Sania's tweet wrote, "At it again!! ...the usual ploy to stay in the news by slanging fellow players in media. #Patriotism."

At it again!! ...the usual ploy to stay in the news by slanging fellow players in media. #Patriotism

— Rohan Bopanna (@rohanbopanna) September 18, 2016

Earlier this year in June, Bopanna had written a letter to AITA requesting the federation to pair him with Saketh Myneni (World No. 125) and not Leander Paes (World No. 46) for Rio Olympics 2016. The AITA junked Bopanna's plea and asked him to play alongside Paes. The duo lost in the very first round of the event and India's hopes of another Olympic medal, in tennis, were dashed.

Peas is the only Indian tennis player to have won an Olympic medal at the Olympics, when he bagged a bronze in 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Only yesterday, India were humiliated by giants Spain in the Davis Cup tournament by 5-0 in New Delhi.

OneIndia News