Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji will represent India in men’s doubles tennis at the upcoming Paris Olympics, the All India Tennis Association announced on Thursday.
Bopanna and Balaji will be accompanied in Paris by coach Balachandran Manikkath and physio Rebecca Orshaegen.
Bopanna had qualified for the Olympics by virtue of being ranked in the top 10 in the ATP men’s doubles rankings. There was considerable speculation as to who Bopanna would partner.
Yuki Bhambri and Sumit Nagal were in consideration. However, Balaji had a good run at the French Open where he reached the third round. The tennis matches at Roland Garros will also be played on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
Balaji and his Mexican partner Miguel Reyes-Varela went down in a hard-fought three-setter to Bopanna and Matthew Ebden in the third round.
Following the French Open, Bopanna had written to the All India Tennis Association stating that his preferred partner for the Olympics would be Balaji.
India’s only Olympic medal in tennis was the bronze Leander Paes won at the 1996 Olympics.
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