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Rio 2016: ‘Soft target’ Leander Paes hits back

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and Leander Paes watch the women’s doubles tennis match on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and Leander Paes watch the women’s doubles tennis match on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)

An emotional Leander Paes did not hide his disappointment after losing the first round men’s doubles match with Rohan Bopanna saying that he has “become a soft target” and that is the reason why people are “taking potshots” at him.

Paes was furious at reports of him not allegedly wanting to share a room with Bopanna and then also going on record about not being allotted room in the Games Village.

Asked about whether the sheen has been taken off without a doubles Olympic medal in cabinet, Paes said: “It should have been about celebrating a career. I am in a position of being the soft target, so a lot of guys wanna (sic) take shots at me. Fine, go for it. I am also just another human being, trying my best,” he said.

Leander was all sarcasm when he said some people were trying to pull him down. “Not many understand what it takes to win one Grand Slam. Not many understand what it takes to win 10 Grand Slams. Not many understand what it takes to win 18 Grand Slams. Not many also understand what getting to seven Olympics takes,” he said.

Paes said if he could manage to remain injury free, he would love to play his eighth Olympics at Tokyo in 2020. “I haven’t had a chance to enjoy the seventh yet.”

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