Pune: The Indian tennis duo of Rohan Bopanna and Ramkumar Ramanathan kickstarted the ATP season with a title and have geared up for their fourth appearance at the Tata Open Maharashtra 2022, taking place at the Balewadi Stadium, Pune.
Talking about his partner, Bopanna said during the virtual conference on Tuesday, “I have watched him grow as a player whether it’s in Davis Cup or other tournaments. If there was some advice I could give him, I have always helped him see where he can improve. I got to know him off the court well and that camaraderie being on the court just helped us really do well.”
The former World No. 3 felt that Ramkumar’s energy and passion allowed him to play his best tennis. He also shared in the conference about looking forward to having another great week in Pune.
“We both served well in Adelaide, and that is key to a good successful partnership. I think if Ram and I can serve well, that will always put pressure on the opponents. Every team out there has a fantastic chance to win the title. We just have to focus on our game and take one match at a time,” he further added.
Bopanna and Ramkumar clinched the title in Adelaide during their maiden outing together in January 2022 and will play against American duo Jamie Cerretani and Nicholas Monroe in the opening round at the fourth edition of South Asia’s only ATP 250 Tour event organized by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association.
The ace player is delighted to be a part of the 4th edition of the event. According to the Press release, Bopanna said such tournaments are crucial as they provide opportunities to the players.
“I’m excited to be back playing here. Unfortunately, fans can’t come out and watch because of the situation. But I think it’s great that this tournament is conducted this year,” the 2010 US open men’s doubles runner-up said.
According to the Press Release, Bopanna cited an example of former Indian singles player Somdev Devvarman, who emerged runner-up in 2009 ATP and made impressive progress in his career thereafter.
Emphasizing the importance of conducting big tournaments in the country, he added, “We need ATP events because there are opportunities. I have seen that somebody at 150 or 200 position gets a chance as a wildcard and a breakthrough because ATP events give bigger points and better opportunities to have a run. For the players to understand and watch live tennis, and watch top players play makes a big difference,” he said.
The 41-year-old commented on more participation of singles players in doubles and concluded with, “Lot of singles players play doubles to improve their game. I’m playing with Denis Shapovalov. He is somebody who enjoys playing doubles. Simultaneously, he’s learning so much whether it’s accuracy on returns or volleys, which helps him so much in singles.”
The Tata Open Maharashtra 2022 is a professional Men’s Tennis tournament owned by IMG and operated by RISE Worldwide in India. It is held in Pune from January 31 to February 06, 2022.
(Avya Mathur)
