On March 1, Indian males’s tennis loved a uncommon second of superb sunshine. On the Dubai ATP 500, Yuki Bhambri — alongside Australian Alexei Popyrin — gained his greatest doubles crown until date. On the Chile Open ATP 250, Rithvik Bollipalli — partnering Colombian Nicolas Barrientos — claimed his second profession title, and on the Bengaluru Open ATP 125 Challenger, Anirudh Chandrasekar — within the firm of Taiwan’s Ray Ho — lifted his most vital trophy but.
At a time when the singles recreation within the nation is gasping for breath — World No. 132 Sumit Nagal is the one Indian within the top-400 and the one one to win Challengers within the final three years — the doubles outcomes have come like oxygen.
Stark dichotomy
Within the current four-Challenger residence swing, Indian gamers gained a grand complete of 1 singles match. However in doubles, Saketh Myneni, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Niki Poonacha reached finals whereas Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, Vijay Sundar Prashanth and Anirudh triumphed.
The most recent rankings function as many as six Indians within the doubles top-100, with one other 4 between 101 and 170. Bhambri and Bollipalli take pleasure in career-highs of 39 — 18 locations behind chief Rohan Bopanna — and 65 respectively. As does Sriram Balaji at 61. Anirudh is up 30 locations to 109, 22 shy of his best-ever.
“I really feel it’s the pathway that has been laid out by Leander [Paes], Mahesh [Bhupathi] and Rohan,” Anirudh informed The Hindu when requested why Indian doubles was doing properly. “Indians, I really feel, are naturally very skilful. We play on actually quick surfaces, develop a internet recreation from a really younger age and in addition serve and volley. The sense of doubles can be very excessive as a result of we practise it from a really younger age.”
Pure match: Anirudh Chandrasekar, who gained the Bengaluru Challenger occasion with Ray Ho, feels Indians take to doubles efficiently due to their innate talent and early immersion within the format. | Photograph credit score: Sudhakara Jain
It’s a concept expounded by Bopanna too, as he informed The Tennis Tribe podcast final 12 months. However possessing the required skill-set — dexterity, supple wrists, higher hand-eye coordination, and many others. — is only one a part of it. Honing it to fulfill modern-day necessities wants a nurturing atmosphere.
It’s right here that the Doubles Dream of India programme has helped. Launched in January 2023 by the Pune Metropolitan District Tennis Affiliation with assist from industrialist Kishor Patil, and mentored by Bopanna, it has supported gamers with coaches and physios for not less than 25 weeks of the calendar.
Coaches Raven Klaasen (former doubles World No. 7) and M. Balachandran and physios Kiran Kumar and Abhimanyu Singh have taken turns to journey, and with two or three gamers invariably discovering themselves in both the identical match or in shut geographical proximity, a single coach-physio mixture can doubtlessly assist a number of gamers.
“The sponsors, Rohan, coaches and the physios within the Doubles Dream programme are all doing an amazing job,” mentioned Bollipalli. “We get to journey with a coach and physio most weeks of the 12 months. It’s value efficient and nice assist. There are a number of positives and results-wise we’re all feeding off one another.”
Main the best way: Along with being India’s top-ranked doubles participant, Rohan Bopanna additionally mentors the Doubles Dream of India programme. | Photograph credit score: Getty Photographs
Beginning 2022, seven Indians have gained Tour-level titles (ATP 250 and above), together with Bopanna (seven trophies), Bhambri (4), Bollipalli (two) and Ramkumar (two). In Challengers, 13 Indians have claimed the highest prize, together with Myneni (12), Bhambri (eight), Balaji (seven), Arjun Kadhe and Anirudh (six every).
Creditable, not extraordinary
It’s certainly true that doubles shouldn’t be as aggressive and bodily demanding as singles, however the format is fairly fickle, particularly outdoors the 4 Majors. No-ad scoring (the primary level after deuce wins the sport) and a 10-point tiebreaker as an alternative of a 3rd set make upsets extra probably and consistency arduous to attain. The accomplishments are thus creditable even when not extraordinary.
Among the many prime the explanation why Indians are flocking to doubles is as a result of the transition from Futures (lowest rung) to Challengers after which to the Tour shouldn’t be as arduous as in singles. Challenger and Tour-level competitions additionally supply higher prize cash, and even when the doubles purse is considerably smaller than singles, gamers imagine they’ll make a dwelling.
Important assist: Rithwik Bollipalli, seen right here with N. Sriram Balaji (left), credit the Doubles Dream of India programme for attending to ‘journey with a coach and physio most weeks of the 12 months’. | Photograph credit score: PTI
The truth is, final December, the ATP introduced a document $28.5 million in prize cash for Challengers in 2025 (singles and doubles), up from $22.3 million in 2024, $21.1 million in 2023 and $12.1 million in 2022. The place in 2022 there have been simply 20 Challenger 125s and 16 Challenger 100s, 2023 noticed a whopping 35 and 41 respectively, and 2024, 33 and 41. Beginning 2023, ATP has additionally added 5 Challenger 175s to the schedule.
Such has been the impact that Bollipalli and Anirudh at the moment are full-time doubles practitioners, regardless of being simply 24 and 26 respectively. There was a time when doubles was once populated by over-the-hill singles gamers and people with persistent accidents. However not anymore, for gamers appear pushed by the need to function within the greatest tournaments.
Bollipalli made his Slam debut on the 2025 Australian Open whereas Anirudh has performed each the 2024 and 2025 editions in Melbourne. For successful in Chile, Bollipalli earned $17,990. A primary-round loss on the Australian Open fetched him almost $12,500.
“Once I was in school [University of South Florida], I had a disk bulge in my decrease again,” mentioned Bollipalli. “I attempted to play a bit little bit of singles after that however I used to be struggling to recuperate. My stage in doubles was significantly better and I believed ‘why not give it a shot’. I used to be already at a rank the place I may get into Challengers and that saved me motivated. This 12 months, I’ve performed simply Tour occasions and that’s factor. That is the actual deal and the place the harder opponents are.”
The important query
The bigger query, nevertheless, is whether or not doubles deeds can set off a revival of the game within the nation. They’ve helped in sustaining the sport’s footprint, however the legendary Vijay Amritraj is steadfast in his perception that solely good singles outcomes — like 15-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran’s stirring semifinal run on the WTA 125 Mumbai Open — can re-energise the entire setting.
“Virtually unimaginable,” declared Amritraj, who excelled each in singles and doubles. “You’ll be able to win in Davis Cup with 4 singles. However you can not do it with one doubles. We’ve everybody play doubles in all places however we’re nonetheless not in a position to win singles in Challengers. That’s a giant concern.”
Single answer: The legendary Vijay Amritraj believes solely good singles outcomes can revitalise tennis in India. He says the shortcoming to win singles Challenger titles is a ‘large concern’. | Photograph credit score: Getty Photographs
Amritraj additionally quipped that there was nothing to cease present-day gamers from competing in each, regardless of the game having change into extra bodily demanding. “Once I performed, matches had been all 5 units, even at regular tournaments,” the 71-year-old mentioned. “Within the Nationwide Championships, I performed singles semifinals 5 units, last 5 units and doubles 5 units. It’s a part of the method in the direction of changing into match and taking part in lengthy matches.
“In the present day, solely the Slams are 5 units [singles]. Doubles is three units and the third shouldn’t be even a set. Frankly, the inducement is so nice to play singles [$80,000 for a first-round loser at 2025 Australian Open]. In case you prepare actually arduous, make the top-100 in singles, then top-50 and top-20, doubles would change into very simple since you are match sufficient to do it. Not the opposite manner round.”
Printed – March 08, 2025 12:11 am IST
