Where patriotic glory is concerned, for Indians, Wimbledon is all about the doubles, ever since the pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi burst onto the scene in the 1990s. Paes and Bhupathi, along with Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza, have made doubles the focus of tennis interest in India with their consistent success at the highest level. It has been interesting to see how India has evolved over the past two decades into a nation of doubles specialists in tennis.
It was in 1884 that the Gentlemen’s Doubles event was introduced at Wimbledon. Both the Ladies Doubles and Mixed Doubles competitions were introduced in 1913. It is rather unfortunate that doubles events have never quite lived up to the glory – or wealth – of the singles, either in the media or in popular imagination. Unfortunate because doubles play at its best can be wonderfully entertaining – fast, skillful, and full of a kind of camaraderie not seen during singles matches.
Sadly, despite the tradition India’s tennis players have created, this year’s Wimbledon prospects do not look particularly bright for our players. Here’s a breakdown of the Indians who are entered in the draw:
Sania Mirza
In April, Mirza became the first Indian woman to attain WTA’s number one ranking in doubles, a cause for much celebration in India. Twelve years ago, she won the Girls’ (Junior) Doubles event at Wimbledon with Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova, but, somewhat surprisingly, is yet to win a Grand Slam in the women’s doubles category.
This year she is playing with wily veteran Martina Hingis and the pair is top-seeded. They have had good success together on the faster courts, reaching the semifinals of the warm up tournament in Eastbourne last week, and are certainly one of the favourites.
Luckily for them the Williams sisters, who were in the same half of the draw, have withdrawn from Wimbledon this week, thus boosting their chances. They still have to contend with the likes of French Open Champions Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova. But no one should be surprised if they manage to pull off a victory.
In the Mixed Doubles, Mirza will be looking to complete her career slam since she has already won the other three. She has an even better chance in this event to go far.
Leander Paes
There was a time when Indians could count on Paes at grass. A former junior champion at Wimbledon, Paes won the men’s doubles once (with Bhupathi) and the mixed doubles, three times. He is widely acknowledged as one of the best doubles players on grass ever, and his speed and skill at the net are sublime to watch when he is on form.
But Paes turned 42 last month, and time has to take its toll on even this ever-youthful athlete. No one understands change better perhaps than Paes, who played with his 100th doubles partner last week. But at Wimbledon he is back with Canada’s Daniel Nestor, himself a hardened veteran. Their combined age is 84, and they will be sentimental favourites, but it will be quite an achievement if they manage to go far.
Mahesh Bhupathi
The 41-year-old has two mixed titles at Wimbledon and one doubles title (with Paes.) Along with Paes, Bhupathi has carried the torch for Indian tennis for so long that it seems almost unfair. He too is on the wrong side of forty now, and his results have been mediocre in recent times.
But Bhupathi is on the comeback trail as is his Serbian partner Janko Tipsarevic. The pair gained entry through protected ranking. Bhupathi has not been in a Grand Slam final since the 2012 French Open, and, as his tennis career winds down, is unlikely to go far.
Rohan Bopanna
In the past Bopanna has made it to the Wimbeldon quarterfinals once and semis once, and, though often overshadowed by Paes and Bhupathi, he is an excellent doubles player in his own right. Currently ranked No. 17 in men’s doubles, he is in the best form of all the Indian players.
He and his partner from Spain, Florin Mergea, won the warm-up tournament in Stuttgart two weeks ago and reached the final at Halle a week later. The two won their first round match at Wimbledon on Monday. Their good form may not be enough against the Bryan brothers whom they are scheduled to meet in the fourth round, but one can hope that it will be an excellent match.
Purav Raja
The 29-year-old went through the qualifying rounds to make it to the main draw, and is playing with Fabrice Martin of France. The duo were runners up at the Zagreb Indoors tournament on hard courts in February this year, and the experience of playing in the qualifiers will have given Raja a lot of practice.
However, the pair can’t be expected to go far, especially as they open against former champions Frederik Nielsen and Jonathan Marray. But it’s good to see an Indian get into the tournament the hard way. No matter what the results are, remember that Raja’s already won a few matches at Wimbledon this year.
It was in 1884 that the Gentlemen’s Doubles event was introduced at Wimbledon. Both the Ladies Doubles and Mixed Doubles competitions were introduced in 1913. It is rather unfortunate that doubles events have never quite lived up to the glory – or wealth – of the singles, either in the media or in popular imagination. Unfortunate because doubles play at its best can be wonderfully entertaining – fast, skillful, and full of a kind of camaraderie not seen during singles matches.
Sadly, despite the tradition India’s tennis players have created, this year’s Wimbledon prospects do not look particularly bright for our players. Here’s a breakdown of the Indians who are entered in the draw:
Sania Mirza
In April, Mirza became the first Indian woman to attain WTA’s number one ranking in doubles, a cause for much celebration in India. Twelve years ago, she won the Girls’ (Junior) Doubles event at Wimbledon with Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova, but, somewhat surprisingly, is yet to win a Grand Slam in the women’s doubles category.
This year she is playing with wily veteran Martina Hingis and the pair is top-seeded. They have had good success together on the faster courts, reaching the semifinals of the warm up tournament in Eastbourne last week, and are certainly one of the favourites.
Luckily for them the Williams sisters, who were in the same half of the draw, have withdrawn from Wimbledon this week, thus boosting their chances. They still have to contend with the likes of French Open Champions Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova. But no one should be surprised if they manage to pull off a victory.
In the Mixed Doubles, Mirza will be looking to complete her career slam since she has already won the other three. She has an even better chance in this event to go far.
Leander Paes
There was a time when Indians could count on Paes at grass. A former junior champion at Wimbledon, Paes won the men’s doubles once (with Bhupathi) and the mixed doubles, three times. He is widely acknowledged as one of the best doubles players on grass ever, and his speed and skill at the net are sublime to watch when he is on form.
But Paes turned 42 last month, and time has to take its toll on even this ever-youthful athlete. No one understands change better perhaps than Paes, who played with his 100th doubles partner last week. But at Wimbledon he is back with Canada’s Daniel Nestor, himself a hardened veteran. Their combined age is 84, and they will be sentimental favourites, but it will be quite an achievement if they manage to go far.
Mahesh Bhupathi
The 41-year-old has two mixed titles at Wimbledon and one doubles title (with Paes.) Along with Paes, Bhupathi has carried the torch for Indian tennis for so long that it seems almost unfair. He too is on the wrong side of forty now, and his results have been mediocre in recent times.
But Bhupathi is on the comeback trail as is his Serbian partner Janko Tipsarevic. The pair gained entry through protected ranking. Bhupathi has not been in a Grand Slam final since the 2012 French Open, and, as his tennis career winds down, is unlikely to go far.
Rohan Bopanna
In the past Bopanna has made it to the Wimbeldon quarterfinals once and semis once, and, though often overshadowed by Paes and Bhupathi, he is an excellent doubles player in his own right. Currently ranked No. 17 in men’s doubles, he is in the best form of all the Indian players.
He and his partner from Spain, Florin Mergea, won the warm-up tournament in Stuttgart two weeks ago and reached the final at Halle a week later. The two won their first round match at Wimbledon on Monday. Their good form may not be enough against the Bryan brothers whom they are scheduled to meet in the fourth round, but one can hope that it will be an excellent match.
Purav Raja
The 29-year-old went through the qualifying rounds to make it to the main draw, and is playing with Fabrice Martin of France. The duo were runners up at the Zagreb Indoors tournament on hard courts in February this year, and the experience of playing in the qualifiers will have given Raja a lot of practice.
However, the pair can’t be expected to go far, especially as they open against former champions Frederik Nielsen and Jonathan Marray. But it’s good to see an Indian get into the tournament the hard way. No matter what the results are, remember that Raja’s already won a few matches at Wimbledon this year.
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