'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Thursday, June 13, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) officially announced that 67th-ranked doubles player N Sriram Balaji will be Rohan Bopanna’s partner in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024, scheduled to be held later this year in July and August.
Furthermore, the AITA also confirmed that coach M Balachandran and physio Rebecca Van Orshaegen would be traveling alongside the team as the support staff.
"We are proud to announce that Rohan Bopanna and N. Sriram Balaji have qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024! With Coach Mr. Balachandran Manikkath and Physio Ms. Rebecca V. Orshaegen by their side, we're ready to make a mark on the world stage," the AITA wrote on X.
Earlier, India's doubles World No. 4 Rohan Bopanna had picked Sriram as his partner and requested the AITA to second his choice.
Fortunately this time around, the AITA approved Bopanna’s request. Ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, the-then 10th-ranked Bopanna selected Saketh Myneni as his partner, but the AITA had paired him with Leander Paes.
It’s worth noting that the men’s doubles event at the Paris Olympics 2024 will have 32 teams (a maximum of two per country is allowed). The top 10 players in the ATP doubles rankings will be the first to qualify as long as they have an available partner from their nation inside the top 300 rankings.
Importantly, Bopanna achieved the World No. 1 ranking this year and won the Australian Open title.
Yuki Bhambri was also in the race to pair up with Rohan Bopanna
Besides Balaji, Yuki Bhambri was also in the race as the second-best Indian doubles tennis player. Notably, Bopanna had played with Bhambri in the Davis Cup and the Asian Games. Nevertheless, Bopanna decided to leave the matter to the AITA.
In the past, the 44-year-old has paired with Mahesh Bhupathi and Vishnu Vardhan in the Summer Games. India has managed to bag only one medal in tennis at the Summer Games so far. Leander Paes won the lone medal (bronze) at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 in singles.
Interestingly, Bopanna and Sania Mizra were close to recreating the feat at the Rio Olympics in 2016. The duo advanced to the mixed doubles semi-finals before suffering a loss against Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram of the USA.
