With the Olympics only a couple of months away, there are still lots of questions to be asked as to who will contest the doubles for India. With so much up in the air, Rohan Bopanna has a strong opinion about who should represent India in mixed doubles.
Teaming up with Mirza
Bopanna has been speaking about the Olympics and has revealed his opinion that he thinks Sania Mirza and himself would make the perfect team. If the pair were to go on and compete together, then that could mean Leander Paes, 42, could miss out completely despite having an impressive record and recently winning the French Open with Martina Hingis to claim the Career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.
His ranking is still on the cusp of the top 10, but defending champion Ivan Dodig’s loss in the semifinals means Bopanna should climb back in next week. Two smileys at the end of a ‘thank you’ Bopanna tweet confirmed it. The Bengaluru man is going to Rio with all the balls on his side of the court. The cut-off being June 6, the timing couldn’t have been better.
“Based on present rankings, the only team which can get into the Olympics on direct acceptance is Sania (Mirza) & I because every other man is ranked too low,” Bopanna said. “Sania should get the respect she deserves. She must decide who she should partner at the Games, but she and I get along well both on and off the court.”
“Sania plays on the deuce court and I play on the ad court and my serve complements her huge forehand. Perhaps we make the best team, but that decision is solely hers. I do not think any of us should say, ‘I deserve it more’. A player knows who she’s comfortable with. Everyone should approach the Olympics in a positive frame of mind.”