India’s Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal said that the tennis stalwart Rohan Bopanna, who recently finished runner-up in the US Open men’s doubles, will be joining the Indian squad on Wednesday. The team is preparing to take on Morocco in the World Group II play-offs fixture schedule to take place at the Vijayant Khand Mini Stadium in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow on Saturday and Sunday.
The 43-year-old Bopanna, who is currently ranked seventh in the doubles world rankings, etched his name in history last week by becoming the oldest player to compete in a Grand Slam doubles final at the US Open. This achievement underscores Bopanna’s enduring commitment to tennis. Besides Bopanna, the six-member Indian Davis Cup squad also features a formidable line-up that includes country’s top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal along with Sasikumar Mukund, Digvijay Pratap Singh, Yuki Bhambri and Ramkumar Ramanathan. “Rohan Bopanna will join the team’s training on Wednesday.
He has been part of the Indian Davis Cup since 2002 and his presence brings invaluable experience to the squad. We have a well-balanced team that combines experience and youth, and we are confident in our team’s ability to perform at its best,” Rajpal, the non-playing captain of the Indian Davis Cup team and also the Executive Committee Member of Indian Olympic Association, commented as he offered insight into the squad’s preparation. The Davis Cup, the oldest and the most premier international men’s tennis team competition in the world with a rich history of more than 120 years, witnesses the participation of more than 135 countries. A Davis Cup tie consists of five matches—four singles and one doubles match—and the team that claim wins in at least three matches will secure the tie.
A win here will ensure India’s place in the 2024 Davis Cup World Group I Play-offs. The matches will begin at 12 pm on Saturday while 11am on Sunday.