'Winning a Grand Slam is obviously a dream': Yuki Bhambri’s emotional words before making US Open 2025 history

Indian tennis star Yuki Bhambri created history on Wednesday as he reached his first semi-final of the men’s doubles at the US Open with his New Zealand partner, Michael Venus. In fact, this is the first time that Bhambri has reached the semi-final of any Grand Slam.

The 13th seed Bhambri-Venus defeated the 11th seed Rajeev Ram and Nikola Metkic 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 in a tough three-setter men’s doubles match on Court 17. They will be up against the British pair of Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury in Friday’s semi-final.

A victory on Friday will put Bhambri on the verge of winning his first Grand Slam doubles title.

‘Winning a Grand Slam is obviously a dream’

While speaking exclusively to JioHotstar before the US Open 2025, Bhambri had said that winning a Grand Slam title would be a dream come true moment.

“It’s every person’s dream when they hold a tennis racket. When you go out there, that’s what you want to do. This is what you’ve seen on TV. My idols growing up were Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. You see them do it. That’s one of the reasons why I picked up a tennis racket, watching them win the US Open, watching them win Wimbledon. When you go out there, winning a Grand Slam is obviously a dream to accomplish. That’s what all of us out there are trying to do. We’re putting our best foot forward and hope one day we can achieve that,” he said.

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In the same interview, the 33-year-old Delhi-born Bhambri reflected on representing India at the US Open.

“I’ve had the privilege of sharing this stage with many fellow Indians, and our nation has a rich tennis legacy with icons like Amritraj (Vijay Amritraj), Krishnan (Ramesh Krishnan), Leander (Leander Paes), Mahesh (Mahesh Bhupathi), and Rohan (Rohan Bopanna) as well. Ultimately, the biggest pressure often comes from within, as I always strive to perform at my very best whenever I step on court. It’s an honour to represent India, and I truly cherish every moment, especially here, at the US Open. I’m pleased to have advanced to the next round, and I’m eager to keep pushing and see how far we can go,” he said.

‘Fortunate to play Grand Slam tennis’

Speaking on the privilege of competing at the Grand Slam level, Bhambri said, “I don’t know if you fully realize the enormity, but you want to try and do the best you can. We’re playing on the biggest stage of them all. Not everybody gets an opportunity to be playing at one of the Grand Slams. And I know I’m quite fortunate to be able to do this.

“I’ve done it in singles, and now I’m playing doubles here. I’m just happy to be out there playing tennis, especially with a friend of mine. It makes it a lot more fun being on the same side, playing with someone you know well. I’m happy to go out there and do my job. It makes it a lot more exciting to represent your country as well.”