Leander Paes was born in Kolkata to parents Vece Paes, a Goan and Jennifer Paes, from Kolkata. Leander Paes completed his education from La Martiniere Calcutta and then St. Xavier's College. (Pic/ Thomas)

Both Leander Paes' parents were sportspersons. His father Vece was a midfielder playing for the Indian field hockey team who won a bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Leander's mother was the captain of the Indian women's basketball team

Leander Paes won his first Grand Slam in 1999. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi entered all 4 Grand Slam finals. They went on to win Wimbledon and the French Open titles. Paes-Bhupathi became the first Indian doubles pair to win a Grand Slam (Pic Shirish Shete)

Leander Paes has a varied playing style and is known as one of the best volleyers and dropshotters. He is known to be one of the most stylish Indian sports stars over the years

Leander Paes with his longtime friend and tennis partner Mahesh Bhupathi at Mumbai airport in 1997. The duo have the longest streak in Davis Cup history with 24 consecutive wins and a total of 25 wins and 2 losses. Their duo was nicknamed 'Indian Express. Paes- Bhupathi have a career record of 303,103

Paes with his bronze medal at the Centennial Olympic Games after beating Brazil's Fernando Meligeni in 1996. Leander Paes has won 8 men's doubles Grand Slams and 10 mixed doubles Grand Slams (Pic/ PTI)

The Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy in Chennai had a huge role to play in Leander Paes' development. His claim to fame was winning the 1990 Wimbledon Junior championship and no 1 ranking

Leander Paes with Bollywood actress Mahima Chaudhry. The two celebs were dating each other for a brief period. (Pic/ Pradeep Mandhani)

Leander Paes first met Rhea Pillai, an instructor in the Art of Living Foundation, in November 2003 on a flight to Goa, where Rhea invited Paes to make a guest appearance at an Art of Living show in Mumbai

Leander Paes and Rhea Pillai were in a live-in relationship. Leander Paes and Rhea Pillai have a daughter together named Aiyana.

In February 2014, Rhea Pillai had slapped a case of domestic violence against Leander Paes.

In June 2016, Leander Paes and Rhea Pillai were finally persuaded to try and reach an amicable solution behind closed doors through mediation. It was thanks to high court judge, who tactfully reminded the estranged couple about the effect a long-drawn, public battle would have on their 10-year-old daughter

In picture: Leander Paes is all smiles in this photo with Bollywood actress Dipannita Sharma

Leander Paes has partnered with 25 women in mixed doubles between 1994-2017. His tournaments include Olympics, Grand Slams, Davis Cup, World Tour Finals, World Tour Series, World Tour Masters and ATP Challengers. (Pic/ Santosh Ghosh)

Leander Paes with his trophy at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in 1998. Leander Paes achieved the title of Career Grand Slam after he won the doubles at Australian Open 2012. (Pic/ PTI)

Leander Paes with the Davis Cup team in March 1991. Leander Paes began his David Cup career at a very young age of 16. He is considered as one of the finest ever Davis Cup players for India

Leander Paes also completed a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles when he won the French Open 2016 with Martina Hingis

In picture: Leander Paes snapped with a friend.

Leander Paes on Davis Cup: My role is to motivate the youngsters, not by talk, but by play, by sharing my experiences with them. We played and beat China without our No. 1 singles players Yuki [Bhambri] which makes the win special. It shows that we are on top in Asia

Leander Paes made his acting debut in the 2013 film 'Rajdhani Express'. (Pic/ Suresh K.K.)

Leander Paes with actor/ model Bikram Saluja. (Pic Ashish Raje)

Leander Paes on his equation with Rohan Bopanna: I have immense respect for Rohan's talent and I'm looking forward to playing with him for the country. I feel Rohan and myself are a winning combination," added Paes, who is one win away from creating a Davis Cup world record of doubles wins

Leander Paes on Mahesh Bhupathi: I have a lot of respect for Mahesh. I respect all these years of perseverance, hard work, travelling and the great things that we have done together. To win one Davis Cup match is something but to remain undefeated in 24 matches across so many years is something else. Just to be able to play in a Slam is special, but to go on and win multiple Slams together is something else," said Paes

Leander Paes on winning Davis Cup tie against China: I want to dedicate this record to my parents, my family and daughter. Without their constant motivation and support, I won't have ever achieved this," an ecstatic Paes remarked