Sania Mirza and Somdev Devvarman lauded Rohan Bopanna’s age-defying season so far as the 43-year-old targets a first French Open men’s doubles title. Bopanna has broken into the doubles top 10 rankings for the first time since 2016 after a series of good results with partner Matthew Ebden from Australia.
The pair won the Indian Wells Masters and followed it up with a run to the final of the Madrid Open. Bopanna is yet to win a doubles Grand Slam title but his only Major has been at Roland Garros, winning the mixed doubles title at the 2017 French Open.
Mirza herself reached the finals of the Australian Open mixed doubles with Bopanna back in January earlier this year when they finished runners-up to the Brazilian duo of Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos.
“He’s been playing a lot this year and he’s been going deep in the big tournaments. Him and Ebden have been playing great together and I don’t see a reason why he shouldn’t be a contender as much as any of the others in the draw,” said Mirza of Bopanna’s chances to win at Roland Garros.
“And as someone who’s played with him, I’m just very happy for him. I know how hard he works. I know. He’s a very, very good guy and loves competing. I’m really happy for him that he’s found that sort of second or third wind where he’s come back into the top 10, which is an unbelievable feat.”
This year, the only Indian contenders in Paris are Bopanna, Yuki Bhambri and Saket Myneni in the men’s doubles event. Bopanna, is seeded seventh in men’s doubles and is the country’s best chance of a Grand Slam title, provided the draw is favourable.
While Devvarman agreed with Mirza on Bopanna’s chances, he was also complimentary of Bhambri and Myneni. The duo have been consistently competing on the ATP Challengers Tour this year which he pointed out was a feat in itself, having gone through the ITF Futures tour last year. The 36-year old former player also highlighted Bopanna’s run to the semi-finals of the French Open in 2022 with partner Matwe Middelkoop as a reason for why he could go beyond this year.
When asked if there was anything special that India does when it comes to doubles’ events, both Mirza and Devvarman mentioned that while they started off playing doubles as juniors, their focus was more on singles. “As (Indians) in general, we are very talented with our hands. We’ve got great reflexes and we can understand the court angles very well. Some of us are fast on the board,” Mirza quipped, pointing to Devvarman with a smile, “but our genetics don’t really help us. Our legs are not really our strength – that’s a fact and I think that that’s probably one of the reasons also that we do so well (in doubles).”
Mirza and Devvarman stuck with the tournament favourites of Iga Swiatek for women’s singles and whoever comes out on top between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in men’s singles as their picks to win at Roland Garros this year. But they also mentioned that the women’s doubles draw is sure to throw up some surprises, considering how open the field is this year. Mirza herself touted the likes of Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula along with the pair of Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs as possible contenders for the title.
Live coverage of Roland Garros 2023 in India will be on Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV