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The Times of India
The Times of India
Sport
Prajwal Hegde | TNN

Rohan Bopanna sparks doubles dream

MELBOURNE: Rohan Bopanna is a man on a mission. At No. 19, he's the highest ranked among five Indians in the top100 of the ATP's individual doubles. The one bright spot in the Indian tennis landscape. Not enough, says the Kodava, who is pitching and preparing for more success in the coming months. For himself and a group of compatriots.

Bopanna, soon to be 43, the oldest player in the Australian Open, is determined that Indian tennis will be more than a memory, however tall the towers of yesteryears may stand or how few and far between success is these days.

"Where are the juniors?" asks Bopanna, sporting a statement tee that says, ‘Sky is the limit'. "Today we have no singles players in Grand Slams, tomorrow we'll have no players at all!"

Bo panna's goal of keeping India in Grand Slams kicked-off last season with a programme he has appropriately named ‘Doubles Dream of India'.

For Indian players ranked in the top-200 in doubles, Bopanna arranged for physios and coaches to travel with the teams to assist in their campaigns. In December, he organized a pre-season camp for 12 days in Dubai. Some 15 players attended the camp that was overseen by Jeff Coetzee and M Balachandran. There were three physios working with the players.

Bopanna wanted the players outside their comfort zone because of which he chose Dubai as the venue. "At home, there's family and friends around, home-cooked meals," he said, "tennis is played away (most of the time) for us Indians at least. That's where we need to adjust. " In January, the Bengaluru-based veteran's endeavour gained momentum when the Pune Metropolitan District Tennis Association got into the mix and Kishore Patil's tech firm KPIT decided to fund the movement. Abhishek Thamane is tying up the loose ends.

Bopanna, who is also looking at women pros from the country, said, singles players have individual coaches, making a group exercise that much harder to manage That, and breaking through in singles, is tougher than in doubles, besides what In dia needs pronto is presence.

"I'm trying to do for these players what I thought I would've benefitted from at this crucial stage of a career," Bopanna said "We're able to climb, but we're unable to sustain our progress. We have a lot of talented players, they just needed proper guidance."

For the three Challenger tournaments to be played in India in February, John Farrington — who has coached ATP and WTA players, including teams like Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, Anastasia Rodionova and Alla Kudryavsteva to the world No. 1 ranking — will take charge of India's doubles dream for the three-week stretch Bopanna, who is partnering Aussie Matthew Ebden in the men's doubles at Melbourne Park, is seeded No. 10 and the duo opens against the Austrian combine of Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler.

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