Rohan, Divij bag doubles gold
Newlyformed combination wins fifth gold for India in men’s doubles; favourite to play Serbia in Davis Cup
NEWDELHI: When Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan stood on the podium with gold medals at the JSC courts in Palembang, there was both joy and relief in the Indian tennis camp. The duo had brushed aside the challenge of Kazakhstan’s Aleksandr Bublik and Denis Yevseyev 6-3, 6-4 in the final to live up to the expectations.
Even before India could start the tennis competition, the squad was hit by the withdrawal of Leander Paes. India did well to win three medals, including singles bronze medals by Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ankita Raina.
Paes was unhappy that the team had only two doubles specialists and he would have to pair up with a singles player. Being India’s top two players in ATP rankings, Bopanna and Divij wanted to play together and made their preference clear to the selectors. Bopanna is ranked 36 and Delhi boy Divij is ranked 38. Paes, on the other hand, had fallen to 80 in the world rankings.
The on–court chemistry is a key component of doubles competition. Bopanna and Divij may have got the top billing but the fact that they have not played together too often made their job tougher. Left-handed Divij, a late bloomer, has been going through the best patch of his career, having reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon (with Artem Sitak) and third round at Australian Open (with Rajeev Ram) this year. At 38, Bopanna brings with him years of experience and reached the quarterfinals of French Open (with Edouard Roger-vasselin). Bopanna can still rattle the best in business with his booming service while Divij’s reflexes at the net proved to be an ideal combination.
But what was fascinating to see during the competition was how the two gelled so quickly. So much so that when the going got tough in the semi-final against the Japanese pair of Sho Shimabukuro and Kaito Uesugi, the two Indians switched their normal sides of courts to confuse the opponents. The Indian pair came off in the super tie break, winning 6-4, 3-6, 10-8.
They preserved the best for the final where the Indians were in command right from the word go. They stayed aggressive, meant business, and delivered.
DAVIS CUP
In recent years, India have struggled to find one solid combination in Davis Cup. Bopanna and Paes had a brilliant win over China. It spurred the team to rally to a memorable comeback victory in April. But such victories have come far and few and it is no secret that the two have not shared the best of equations.
In three weeks’ time when India face Serbia in a World Group play-off, expect Bopanna and Divij, who has mostly been in reserves for some time now, todriveindia’schallengein the doubles section.
While the Tokyo Olympics is still far, the gold from Palembang might just mark a new beginning for Indian tennis, as far as doubles is concerned.