Veteran Indian tennis players Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji have embarked on their journey to represent India at the Paris Olympics. Their partnership, however, began with a challenging defeat in the opening round of the Hamburg Open.
The sixth-seeded Indian team faced an unseeded German duo, Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner, in the ATP 500 tournament. Unfortunately, Bopanna and Balaji lost 1-6, 4-6.
Despite being known for their strong serving game, the Indian pair struggled to win points on their first serves. They dropped their serve three times during the match and couldn’t convert any of the three break-point chances they had.
Bopanna and Balaji’s first assignment was a fail
Bopanna and Balaji have never played together on the ATP Tour before, making this partnership a crucial part of their Olympic preparation. They have one more tournament ahead—the Croatia Open in Umaag, which is an ATP 250 event.
First ATP main tour win for Jakob Schnaitter & Mark Wallner. They win in straight sets (6-1, 6-4) in Hamburg against Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji. What an incredible year for the German pair who were playing ITF tournaments until the end of 2023. 11 Challenger finals and 4… pic.twitter.com/9wyiMuXK3C
— edgeAI (@edgeaiofficial) July 18, 2024
India’s No.1 singles player, Sumit Nagal, also faced a setback. He lost his pre-quarterfinal match at the Nordea Open in Bastad to fourth-seeded Argentine Mariano Navone. Nagal, a clay court specialist, has qualified for the singles event at the Paris Olympics.
Despite the initial loss, Bopanna and Balaji remain determined to make their mark in Paris. The Olympic stage awaits, and they aim to give their best performance in pursuit of glory.
Also Read: Sumit Nagal goes down against World No.36 in the second round of the Nordea Open
