India is performing extremely well in Tennis. There have been some great examples set in this sport of Indians who have taken our country on the global map! iSporter Chirag Mansukhani has a rendezvous with yet another tennis player who has made an excellent contribution to Tennis on the international front.
Rohan Bopanna is currently the India No. 3 doubles player and an upcoming star in the singles format of the game. He started playing Tennis at the age of 11 and has never looked back! Despite some intense competition and the fact that he has had to cope with the immense pressure of being compared to the likes of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna has been able to establish himself as one of the country’s best.
His recent success at the South Africa Open was his second ATP Tour Doubles Title and first with partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi with whom he has tasted much success over the past few years. From the looks of things to come the Indo-Pak express has a bright future ahead of them.
We were able to get Rohan’s thoughts on his latest victory in South Africa, on his partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and a whole lot more. Here’s what he had to say:
iSport : This is your second ATP doubles title. How does it feel?
Rohan : It feels great! Obviously your first major title will always hold a special place in your heart – but in many ways this feels like another first, because Aisam and I have come so close in the past but have not managed to actually win a World Tour title together. So I feel really satisfied that we’ve crossed this hurdle.
iSport: You’ve finished Runners-Up twice before while partnering Aisam Qureshi, so this is third time lucky; tell us what you think of your on-court chemistry with your partner?
Rohan : Aisam and I have won a number of Challenger tournaments together and we’ve been playing together for so many years that we know each other’s game extremely well and gel very well on-court. To win this World Tour title – after reaching the finals twice before is proof that we have the potential to compete against the leading teams in the world and hold our own. More importantly, Aisam and I are great friends off the court as well, which has a positive effect on our on-court relationship.
iSport: Who according to you has been the player with whom you have been able to gel the best and form the best partnership with till date?
Rohan : Well has to be Aisam since I have had the most success with him in the challenger and the tour event level.
iSport: You both are known as the Indo- Pak express. And the two of you seem to be doing really well playing together; what are your thoughts on that and your future plans are as a pair?
Rohan : Now that we’ve cracked our first ATP World Tour title I think our immediate goal would be to get more of these under our belts – which would help us gain ground in terms of rankings and allow us entry into the bigger tournaments. Our next goal would then be to win an ATP Masters event and hopefully a Grand Slam!
iSport: The final was a tough fight. Any comments on the final match and your opponents?
Rohan : It definitely took us a while to settle in and we squandered the first set quite easily. But the rain was a blessing in some sense because we were able to talk to each other a lot and strategize about how to improve our performance. The hunger to win was really strong for both of us and after the rain-break we came back with increased determination and a clearer game plan. Our opponents were very tough! They were unseeded as well and playing their first World Tour final so they had a lot of determination and really dominated in the first set.
iSport: You’ve had a good run of form last year winning three challenger tournaments together with Aisam Qureshi. How far do you think you can go as a pair?
Rohan : I think if we put our minds to it and work towards it you never know how far we can go as a pair. And also we are learning all the time and have tremendous potential to improve so that’s a good thing.
Since the pressure is never on the player alone, we also spoke to Hakimudin Habibula, the promoter of GoSports. The Bangalore based sports management company manages Rohan’s affairs off-court.
“Rohan Bopanna, who had an impressive run in 2009, has shown that he has got the game to trouble the best in the business. With recent success in the doubles, he has added another event that is going to keep him in the game much longer. We are excited about the year ahead and are sure that our association with him will be mutually beneficial”, said an excited Hakim.
iSport: Have you ever felt that there was a lot of pressure on you to perform as Mahesh and Leander have?
Rohan : Well not really because it was easier. In fact because they had already been through all the stuff I am going through so they guided me well and took pressure of me.
iSport: Your favourite tournament/Grand Slam? Your favourite surface?
Rohan : Wimbledon without a doubt/ Grass
iSport: Who has been the player that you have idolized while growing up?
Rohan : I have always idolized Stefan Edberg and now its Roger Federer.
iSport: You’ve represented India in the Davis Cup as well and have also partnered with Sania Mirza at the 2007 Hopman Cup. What are you thoughts on those experiences?
Rohan : Representing your country is every athlete’s dream so for me as well playing Davis cup and Hopman cup was a wonderful experience and something I will always cherish.
iSport: What are your goals for the year 2010?
Rohan : I want to keep my form and one major goal is to win the Davis Cup against Russia – I think that would be phenomenal if we can manage it. I also want to maintain my fitness and health – remain injury-free.
iSport: What one moment would you say has been the highlight of your career so far?
Rohan :There is not one moment I can pick out and say it’s the highlight but representing India at the Davis cup an Asian games and also winning two titles at the tour event are the highlights of my career.
iSport: How high on the list of most memorable moments would you rate this victory at the South Africa Open?
Rohan : Winning a tournament is always high on the list and winning it with Aisam who I have been playing for so long makes it more special as well.
iSport: What is your one dream or aspiration (ultimate goal) that you would want to achieve?
Rohan : Well my ultimate goal would be to represent India at the Olympics..
iSport: Your message for isport fans?
Rohan : Dreams do come true if you believe in yourself.
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Comments (3)
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a guest
said:
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... While I loved reading his interview and his pride at representing the country , I think the writer ( and Isport ) should've given a lot more thought to the 'Introductions' to the articles. "India is doing extremely well in tennis ..." , "contribution to tennis on international front .. " 1. We are not doing 'extremely' well in tennis .. Spain is .. US and Australia have been. We are just a tiny speck on the tennis circuit. Other than a few Davis Cup wins and Lee-Hesh victories we have not done anything spectacular for a few decades. 2. Nothing against Bofors Bopanna .. But he hasn't been a big name or a performer ever. Other than his last performance at the Davis Cup , he has been a major disappointment. "An upcoming star in the singles format." !!! WHOM ARE YOU KIDDING ? 3. Bopanna must be a nice chap .... plays with a lot of determination and patriotism .. But he is not all that you make him out to be. --- Puneet |
Asif Khan
said:
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... Interesting comment Puneet, while I will not try to justify Chirag's statements. I will say Rohan is an upcoming star not relative to Nadal, Federer or even the 2/3rd grade tennis stars but relative to the state of tennis in India. |
Chirag Mansukhani
said:
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... Appreciate your thoughts and feedback...although I have said that he has been able to establish himself as one of the country's best. Anyways, points noted....thank you... |
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