New Delhi: The All India Tennis Association (AITA) on Thursday confirmed that Rohan Bopanna will pair with N Sriram Balaji in the men's doubles event at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics Games.
"The All India Tennis Association (AITA) is thrilled to announce that Rohan Bopanna and N. Sriram Balaji have qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024 in the tennis doubles event. Their journey to the Olympics marks a significant milestone for Indian tennis," AITA said in a press release.
The decision is more a tactical one and was taken by the former Davis Cup Captain Nandan Bal-led selection committee meeting. Yuki Bhambri, India's number two doubles player, was also in contention, but according to AITA sources, Balaji's ability to move swiftly on the court worked in his favour.
Balachandran Manikkath, who is associated with the Australian Open mixed double winner's Sports School in Bengaluru, will travel with the team as coach while Rebecca Van Orshaegen will be the physiotherapist.
It will the third Olympics Summer Games outing for the 44-year-old Bopanna, who made his Olympic debut at London 2012. Rohan Bopanna partnered Mahesh Bhupathi for the men’s doubles at London 2012 and reached the second round.
The men’s doubles event at the Paris Olympics will feature 32 teams. The first to obtain quotas for their countries were the top 10 players in the doubles rankings, as long as they had an available partner inside the top 300 of the doubles rankings at the end of the qualification window on Monday.
