Kiren Rijiju wishes Leander Paes on his 47th birthday

Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday extended his wishes to ace tennis player Leander Paes, who turned 47.

Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday extended his wishes to ace tennis player Leander Paes, who turned 47. Taking to Twitter, Rijiju wrote, "He gave India the first Olympic medal after a gap of 44 years by winning bronze medal in 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He won multiple gold medals in Asian Games and CWG and represented India for a record 7 times in Olympics! Happy birthday to the legend and dear friend @Leander!"

On December 25 last year, Paes had announced that 2020 will be his last year on the court. The player took to Instagram to wish fans a Merry Christmas. Along with that, he also announced 2020 as his farewell year. Paes has won eight doubles and ten mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. He received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honour, in 1996-97, the Arjuna Award in 1990, the Padma Shri award in 2001 and India's third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan prize in January 2014, for his outstanding contribution to tennis.

He won a bronze medal for India in singles in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Paes competed in consecutive Olympics from 1992 to 2016, making him the first Indian and only tennis player to compete at seven Olympic Games. (ANI)