 "File image of veteran Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna. Reuters")
Veteran Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna is set to represent the nation in the upcoming Paris Olympics where he will be teaming up with N Sriram Balaji in the men’s doubles event.
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) confirmed the news on Thursday, stating that both Bopanna and Balaji had qualified for the event.
“The All India Tennis Association (AITA) is thrilled to announce that Rohan Bopanna and N. Sriram Balaji have qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024 in the tennis doubles event. Their journey to the Olympics marks a significant milestone for Indian tennis,” the AITA wrote in a press release on Thursday.
The Paris Olympics will be the final attempt at winning an Olympic medal for Bopanna, who had turned 44 in March this year.
The decision to have Bopanna pair with Balaji was made at a selection committee meeting that was chaired by former Davis Cup captain Nandan Bal. Yuki Bhambri was also reportedly in contention to feature in the men’s doubles event alongside Bopanna, but Balaji’s swifter on-court movement ultimately led to his selection.
The tennis event at the Paris Olympics will take place at Roland Garros, where the French Open takes place, between 27 July and 4 August.
Bopanna, who became the oldest Grand Slam champion earlier this year after winning the Australian Open men’s doubles event with Matthew Ebden, had represented India in the 2012 an 2016 Olympics in London and Rio de Janiero respectively.
Bopanna had teamed up with Mahesh Bhupati in the men’s doubles event in 2012. Four years later, he would pair up with Leander Paes and Sania Mirza in men’s and mixed doubles respectively. Mirza and Bopanna would reach the mixed doubles semi-finals in Rio and would later lose the bronze medal match to finish at the fourth spot.