CHENNAI:One week before the French Open, Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea held aloft their Madrid Masters shields, confident of a good show in Paris. However, the duo’s hopes went up in smoke with a Round of 16 loss on the red clay.
But on Sunday, they were on cloud nine once again with a 5-7, 6-2, [10-7] victory over Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares on the lush lawns in Stuttgart. Ironically, the tournament used to be played on clay till last year, but switched sides when the ATP opted for an extended grass court swing in 2015. Fortunately, that played right into an overjoyed Bopanna’s hands.
“It is hard for me to adjust to clay, but I enjoy playing on grass. The movement and net play have always come naturally to me. At one time, it used to be the go-to surface for India in home Davis Cup ties — so it holds a special place in my heart,” he told Express on Monday.
The courts in Stuttgart were seemingly laid by the same groundsman that tends to the hallowed turf at Wimbledon. Surely, his big stage experience would have made all the difference. Bopanna certainly thought so and was rewarded with his fourth trophy of the season. “The grass played liked a dream — even during the last day when the baseline got quite bald. I was pleasantly surprised.”
Talking about the three-week gap between Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Bopanna felt it would do most players a power of good. It also allows him to take a week’s break ahead of tennis’ most famous Grand Slam — something he hasn’t done in a while. “The extra week will allow us more time to fine-tune our game. So, Florin and I will play in Halle this week, while giving Nottingham a miss next week and heading off early to SW19,” the World No 18 added.
In the meanwhile, Bopanna and his partner will look to complete the second leg of their ‘German fortnight’ in style, replete with local beer and bratwurst. “In fact, we just came back from our first practice session on the Halle lawns. It felt great!”
With so much goodness on offer, why would anybody feel otherwise!
