Indian tennis is wholesome. There are Indian gamers competing in any respect ranges – from the $15,000 tournaments on the skilled circuit, to the ATP tournaments to the distinguished Masters occasions all the way in which as much as the Grand Slam tournaments. Week in and week on the market are Indians competing within the enterprise finish of competitions internationally, preventing in opposition to the most effective within the enterprise.
There are practically a dozen Indian gamers within the top-200 of world doubles rankings and 5 of them are within the top-100. Behind Rohan Bopanna, Yuki Bhambri and Sriram Balaji are 24-year-old Rithvik Bollipalli (76) and the 26-year-old Anirudh Chandrasekar (99), who’ve a brilliant prospect of creating a mark on the Slam stage.
There’s comprehensible anguish amongst tennis followers that India has solely three gamers within the top-500 of singles. However doubles stars really feel it’s unfair to pit singles in opposition to doubles, and that they need to complement one another.
“Whether or not singles or doubles, all of us want the tournaments at house to construct the inspiration in our skilled profession,” mentioned Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, World No. 110 in doubles. “Sure, the main doubles gamers compete all around the world. However even for singles, we do have gamers like Manas Dhamne, Aryan Shah, Karan Singh and Manish Sureshkumar to achieve from the publicity. All of us want extra tournaments in any respect doable ranges,” Jeevan added.
Trendsetter
When Mahesh Bhupathi received the French Open combined doubles title with Rika Hiraki of Japan in 1997, the primary Grand Slam title for India, it was hailed as the large breakthrough. Leander Paes and Bhupathi, and later Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna, received dozens of doubles titles between them on the most important levels at Wimbledon, Melbourne, Paris and New York, making everybody proud.
Bopanna and Sania have been a set away from bagging an Olympic medal in Rio in 2016. It was Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale who received the combined doubles gold within the final Asian Video games in Hangzhou.
“There isn’t any doubt that we have to strengthen our singles pipeline, however the repeated framing of doubles success as lesser or secondary will not be solely deceptive, it’s deeply disrespectful to the athletes who’ve carried India’s identify on the worldwide tennis stage,” mentioned Bopanna, who received the admiration of the tennis fraternity throughout the globe final yr by changing into the doubles World No. 1 at 44.
“Allow us to be clear. Doubles will not be a fallback. It isn’t a retirement plan. It’s a completely different, extremely tactical self-discipline that requires an equal quantity of health, journey, coaching and psychological resilience. India has had 9 gamers within the top-150 on the earth in doubles, and this isn’t a fluke. It displays sustained onerous work and excellence,” Bopanna added.
Bopanna burdened that the larger query was not about extra Indians succeeding in doubles, however why India had not constructed a system but that allowed singles gamers to thrive.
“You want funding past the junior stage and transition assist for 18 to 25-year-olds. You want structured competitors calendars inside India, skilled teaching, sports activities science and long-term planning,” he mentioned.
Yuki Bhambri, who was as soon as ranked as excessive as No. 83 in singles earlier than switching to doubles due to accidents, credited the Doubles Dream of India mission for the advance within the fortunes of doubles gamers.
“The present variety of Indian gamers within the top-100 and 150 has not been the norm,” he mentioned. “It’s a newer phenomenon. It’s in no small half because of the Doubles Dream mission that has been offering us entry to coaches, trainers and different sources.
Throughout the aisle: Each singles and doubles tennis must handled equally. File Picture: R. Ragu
“This entry was beforehand not out there. The current improve within the variety of gamers performing and the advance in outcomes is pushed by assist and onerous work. It isn’t a sign of doubles being straightforward or unimportant,” added Bhambri, who’s now India’s doubles No. 2 behind Bopanna.
Bhambri, in reality, had displayed his doubles potential manner again in 2014 when he made the third spherical of the Australian Open with Michael Venus of New Zealand. He was not swayed then to change, for he knew his singles potential effectively.
“There isn’t any doubt that singles tennis will get extra eyeballs and cash. Nobody is denying that,” Bhambri said. “I don’t fault anybody for having private desire or desirous to see extra names in professional singles. However do we actually have the infrastructure to assist gamers, consistent with such expectations?
“The vast majority of my profession has been in singles. I’ve switched to doubles comparatively lately. I can guarantee you that the gamers in doubles are placing in the identical onerous work. It’s a completely different skillset that’s wanted for doubles to carry out persistently. It isn’t simply “singles lite”.
“We have to have fun the wins after we are getting them, and assist the gamers when now we have them. We will safely say that Paes, Bhupathi, Sania and Bopanna have made the nation extraordinarily proud,” Bhambri added.
Sriram Balaji, who at 35 has risen to No. 68 within the doubles rankings and performed the Paris Olympics alongside Bopanna, mentioned that his work ethic has remained the identical, whether or not it was singles or doubles.
“My dedication and work ethic have remained constant all through my profession. The one distinction now could be that with age, my coaching strategies have developed. However the effort and time I make investments stay unchanged,” mentioned Balaji.
“We did have a interval after we had a few dozen gamers within the top-500 of singles. There was no assist from the system then. Now now we have solely three within the top-500 and the dearth of assist has remained the identical! We’d like a structured system led by well-educated coaches who can information not solely the gamers but in addition the dad and mom,” mentioned Balaji.
Way back, in a dialogue about balancing his singles and doubles careers, when he was extraordinarily good in each, Bhupathi made some extent by saying: “going for a Challenger for singles as a substitute of competing in an enormous occasion in doubles is like taking a pay-cut”.
Skilled gamers do play for financial acquire, however Jeevan identified that “everybody begins to play the sport not for the cash, however due to ardour”.
“A singles participant ranked 300 on the earth usually struggles to interrupt even with journey, teaching, tools and physio prices,” Bopanna mentioned. “In distinction, a doubles participant ranked within the top-75 can construct a sustainable profession whereas nonetheless representing the nation on the highest ranges.”
It might be famous that the 4 massive stars – Paes, Bhupathi, Sania and Bopanna have collectively received about $30 million in prize cash. In distinction, the singles-only specialists Somdev Devvarman and Prajnesh Gunneswaran received about $2.5 million between them. Sumit Nagal has received about $1.5 million in prize cash to this point.
Whereas Sasikumar Mukund has received $246,264 for his toil over time world wide, each Balaji and Jeevan have received about one million {dollars} between them. Bhambri has received about $1.7 million to this point and Ramkumar Ramanathan about $1.3 million. Within the higher echelons of the sport, Devvarman had a 62-81 win-loss document. Prajnesh was 11-28 and Nagal has a 15-38 document to this point.
Sky excessive
Examine that with the 528-395 win-loss document for Bopanna in doubles. Paes was 770-457, Bhupathi 687-364 and Sania 536-248 on the Tour. They have been on court docket for lengthy, competing onerous on the highest ranges for larger rewards.
“Whenever you decide up a tennis racquet, the motivation is at all times to compete on the highest stage,” noticed Jeevan. “Whereas ardour is the spark that will get you began and retains you glued to the sport, it’s the urge to compete within the Grand Slams that makes you practice onerous, and drives you thru all of the struggles.
“Throughout the constraints of our system, now we have discovered a pathway to try this in doubles. I need to compete in Wimbledon and the Grand Slams. No level in burning all of the sources and taking part in in simply in regards to the entry-level occasions all of your life simply since you need to show your singles prowess,” Jeevan added.
“Doubles has given me the chance to redefine my profession and never let an damage convey it to a halt,” mentioned Bhambri. “I’m extraordinarily grateful for the assist of KPIT, Roundglass and the mentorship of Rohan.
“We’re all hoping for elevated assist and higher ends in each singles and doubles. Allow us to hope that all of us stage up, and put within the onerous work in direction of that objective. Constant outcomes require infrastructure, assist and onerous work in any format,” Bhambri added.
“It’s time we cease pitting singles and doubles in opposition to one another,” mentioned Bopanna. “Each are legitimate, elite disciplines. And each can and will coexist in a powerful tennis ecosystem. Allow us to elevate the dialog. Allow us to construct options. And allow us to cease undermining the very athletes who’re bringing India outcomes,” mentioned Bopanna, as he signed off.
Printed – Might 06, 2025 02:11 pm IST
