NEW DELHI: More than a decade has passed since the time they were a triumphant force in the tennis world. Popularly known as the ‘Indo-Pak Express’, Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi had reached the US Open men’s doubles final in 2010 and the Wimbledon quarterfinals the same year. The duo also won five ATP titles together and broke into the top-10 of the ATP rankings after their Paris Masters win in 2011.
The first time they parted ways was before the 2012 London Olympics, but returned back in 2014 and also bagged the Dubai Open title. This time the association was short-lived, and the pair split after the ATP 250 event in Shenzhen, China. Last year, Bopanna and Qureshi got back together after seven years for events at Acapulco, Mexico, and Sofia, Bulgaria. They combo lost in the first round of both tournaments.
Despite the reversals, Bopanna is optimistic about teaming up with Qureshi again in the future. Speaking with TOI, he said, “We never said that we’ll not play together again. If there is an opportunity for us somewhere to come together and play down the line and if there is a tournament where both of us are looking for partners, we will definitely play together.”
Bopanna will be seen in action during the India-Denmark Davis Cup tie at the Delhi Gymkhana Club on March 4 and 5. It will be the 31st Davis Cup tie for the former world No. 3 men’s doubles player. “I am really looking forward to having a lot of people come out and support us in the weekend,” was Bopanna’s message to tennis fans in the Capital.
Although India are favourites for the tie due to the experience and fondness of its players for grass courts, 41-year-old Bopanna feels the Danish team will mount a “good challenge” despite losing their number one singles player — world No. 90 Holgar Rune — who pulled out of the tie last week. Rune, 18, was the winner of 2019 French Open boys singles title and was expected to spearhead Denmark’s challenge. In his absence, the Danish campaign will be led by seasoned doubles player Frederik Nielsen, who has the 2012 Wimbledon men’s doubles title to his credit.
“One of the reason why we picked grass as the surface for this tie is that it will give us an edge over the Danish team. Having said that, the playing captain of Denmark, Frederik Nielsen, is a former Wimbledon doubles champion. He is very experienced on grass. The other guy (Mikael Torpegaard), I’ve watched him play a little bit and he is pretty good on grass. We have to use the conditions to our strength and utilise it to get the better of the Denmark team,” Bopanna said.
The first time they parted ways was before the 2012 London Olympics, but returned back in 2014 and also bagged the Dubai Open title. This time the association was short-lived, and the pair split after the ATP 250 event in Shenzhen, China. Last year, Bopanna and Qureshi got back together after seven years for events at Acapulco, Mexico, and Sofia, Bulgaria. They combo lost in the first round of both tournaments.
Despite the reversals, Bopanna is optimistic about teaming up with Qureshi again in the future. Speaking with TOI, he said, “We never said that we’ll not play together again. If there is an opportunity for us somewhere to come together and play down the line and if there is a tournament where both of us are looking for partners, we will definitely play together.”
Bopanna will be seen in action during the India-Denmark Davis Cup tie at the Delhi Gymkhana Club on March 4 and 5. It will be the 31st Davis Cup tie for the former world No. 3 men’s doubles player. “I am really looking forward to having a lot of people come out and support us in the weekend,” was Bopanna’s message to tennis fans in the Capital.
Although India are favourites for the tie due to the experience and fondness of its players for grass courts, 41-year-old Bopanna feels the Danish team will mount a “good challenge” despite losing their number one singles player — world No. 90 Holgar Rune — who pulled out of the tie last week. Rune, 18, was the winner of 2019 French Open boys singles title and was expected to spearhead Denmark’s challenge. In his absence, the Danish campaign will be led by seasoned doubles player Frederik Nielsen, who has the 2012 Wimbledon men’s doubles title to his credit.
“One of the reason why we picked grass as the surface for this tie is that it will give us an edge over the Danish team. Having said that, the playing captain of Denmark, Frederik Nielsen, is a former Wimbledon doubles champion. He is very experienced on grass. The other guy (Mikael Torpegaard), I’ve watched him play a little bit and he is pretty good on grass. We have to use the conditions to our strength and utilise it to get the better of the Denmark team,” Bopanna said.
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