Bopanna to team up with Balaji at Paris

New Delhi, June 4

World No. 4 Rohan Bopanna has picked N Sriram Balaji as his partner for the Paris Olympics and the All India Tennis Association (AITA) is unlikely to have any objection to the choice made by the veteran player.

The 44-year-old Bopanna wrote to the AITA and also marked TOPS in the mail, conveying his decision.

Balaji and his Mexican partner MA Reyes-Varela Martinez had tested the formidable combo of Bopanna and Australia’s Matthew Ebden before losing their men’s doubles third round match at the French Open on Monday.

Balaji played well from the baseline with a strong serve backing his game and was equally impressive at the net — a performance that would have convinced Bopanna that the player from Coimbatore is the best option for him when he returns to Roland Garros for a final shot at an Olympics medal next month.

Bopanna, only the third Indian to win a Grand Slam title, came close to winning a medal at the Rio Games but he and Sania Mirza lost the mixed doubles bronze medal match to the Czech combination of Radek Stepanek and Lucie Hradecka.

“I have sent an email to AITA,” Bopanna said, adding that he will comment on his choice only after hearing back from the national federation.

When contacted, AITA secretary general Anil Dhupar said he does not have any objection to Bopanna playing with Balaji, ranked 84, at the Paris Olympics.

“Rohan has written to us that he wants to play with Balaji. Balaji played well in Pakistan also, rising to the occasion. He also did well at the French Open. If Rohan wants that we have no objection to that,” he said.