Leander Paes on Saturday slammed Mahesh Bhupathi in a post on his Facebook page, accusing him of being “unnecessary and disrespectful” over the leaking of a private WhatsApp conversation between the two.

“I was never categorically told that I would not be playing. But it was apparent that the decision was made before I arrived in Bengaluru. This is what I found unnecessary and disrespectful,” wrote Paes. “As far as the fans out there are concerned, they just have to examine who won what for our country when representing the flag. Talk is cheap, history books, however, don’t lie.”

Paes’s post was in response to Mahesh Bhupathi making his Whatsapp conversation with Paes public over the reasons for Paes’s exclusion in India’s Davis Cup team in their win over Uzbekistan in Bengaluru over the weekend.

The two Indian tennis legends have been at loggerheads after Bhupathi, India’s new Davis Cup captain, left Paes out of the tie against Uzbekistan. Paes responded by questioning the selection criteria for not being transparent and Bhupathi replied by hinting that Paes could have been in the team if he appeared earlier.