CHENNAI: According to Rohan Bopanna’s own admission, 2016 was been pretty rough. He and Florin Mergea partnered together till mid-August, but the fruit of their toils was a final each in Madrid and Sydney. There was also the heartbreak of losing out on an Olympic medal, which he and Sania Mirza had two opportunities at securing.
Plus, there’s also the growing ‘din’ of the missing Grand Slam silverware in Bopanna’s cabinet, aside from the lone 2010 US Open runner-up plate. He’s already 36 years old. How much longer must he wait?
While the new year brings with it a set of challenges and lessons, Bopanna is trying, like he does every year, to make the right choice when it comes to which partner would help him take the next step. It’s bound to be nerve-racking because he’s the only one of the current crop of doubles stalwarts that hasn’t made a Major breakthrough at all.
Even Leander Paes and Sania Mirza won the French Open mixed doubles and Australian Open women’s doubles trophies, respectively, last year. That both did it with Martina Hingis by their sides, just happens to be the cherry on the cake. It’s about time Bopanna got a cherry cake of his own. That’s why he’s chosen 2008 French Open champion Pablo Cuevas as his new wingman.
Speaking to Express, the big-serving, yet soft-spoken, Bengalurean tried to make sense of his predicament as best he could. “The winning teams have spread out in such a huge way. The last 15 Grand Slam events, for example, have produced 13 different champion squads. The are so many different styles of play too. So the level has definitely risen. That’s why I’ve chosen Cuevas as a partner. Unlike some others, he knows what it takes to win a Major and not be overawed by the situation,” Bopanna, who has missed the last two editions of the tournament, opined.