Exclusive: Rohan Bopanna opens up winning Asian Games mixed doubles gold with Rutuja Bhosale on First Sports

In an exclusive conversation on the latest episode of First Sports, Indian tennis icon Rohan Bopanna opened up on his partnership with Rutuja Bhosale and how they ended up winning gold in the Asian Games mixed doubles event. After getting knocked out of the men’s doubles event alongside Yuki Bhambri following a second round defeat against Uzbekistan, veteran pro Bopanna teamed up with Bhosale in the mixed doubles event. The two would go on to beat Uzbekistan and Japan in Round 2 and 3 respectively before confirming a medal for themselves with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals. Bopanna and Bhosale’s charge, however, did not end there as they would face Chinese Taipei in consecutive clashes, and emerge victorious on both occasions to win India’s only gold in tennis at the 19th Asian Games. “Definitely liked the gold. Can’t complain with that. Going into the Games, that was my goal, knowing the fact that we generally had a shot to win gold,” Bopanna said on the Mic Up segment on the show. “When I was practicing there I told myself it is a big event to play even though I was playing with somebody for the very first time, she was playing for the very first time in Asian Games. I said let’s take one match at a time just to understand how we just manage things, and then we can take it forward from there. Read | Vijay Amritraj hails Rohan Bopanna’s longevity on First Sports Thankfully for me, when I decided to play with Rutuja, I had an idea of what she brings into the game and what her strengths are. I had also spoken to the coach on which side she likes to play. So I said let’s keep it as simple as what she’s comfortable with and then take it forward from there,” added Bopanna, who recently became the oldest player in a Grand Slam final after reaching the US Open doubles summit clash. The 43-year-old also spoke about the importance of mentoring younger players in events such as the Asian Games. “Definitely it has been one of my best years on tour. I would be lying if I said I’m not playing my best tennis. Also I feel there’s a certain role of mentorship, able to inspire these young athletes there, just the way of how to manage everything around you and make them understand there is a lot more pressure when you play for the country than you’re playing for yourselves, and how to deal with that. “That is a significant aspect where I have learnt and the sport has taught me, and I really feel bringing that to the table and constantly speaking to them, and I’m sure winning gold for Rutuja is such a big moment. Maybe it could inspire and change an entire career and also inspire some young girls to pick up the sport,” added Bopanna. Read | Bopanna caps off Davis Cup career with win, ‘proud’ of ‘phenomenal’ year Watch the full episode here: