Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji Aim for Olympic Glory in Paris

Rohan Bopanna, the veteran Indian tennis player, is gearing up for his final Olympic hurrah in Paris. Despite not having the strongest of partners, Bopanna is confident in his pairing with N Sriram Balaji, believing they have the potential to challenge the top teams.

Bopanna, 44, had to choose between Balaji and Yuki Bhambri for the men's doubles event at the Paris Olympics. After consulting his coaches, he opted for Balaji, citing his athleticism and agility on clay courts.

"I really believe that when we go out there, we genuinely have a chance to win every match, whoever we play against," Bopanna said. "It's not like we're just going to be written off."

Bopanna's confidence stems from Balaji's impressive performances on the ATP Tour. Balaji has defeated top-10 players Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek, and has shown adaptability by playing singles in the Davis Cup tie against Pakistan.

"Balaji definitely has the firepower to do well," Bopanna said. "He's more agile and explosive on clay, which is the surface we'll be playing on."

Bopanna acknowledged that it was a difficult choice between Balaji and Bhambri, but he believes Balaji is the better fit for the clay surface.

"Bala has similar capabilities as Matthew Ebden, who I'm playing with on the Tour," Bopanna said. "Bala is fast and quick, but Ebden has more experience. Bala hasn't played at that level much."

In Paris, Bopanna will have to take on the leadership role, as he has done in the past with illustrious teammates like Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza.

"There is nobody currently in the country who has played that kind of experience as Matthew Ebden," Bopanna said. "So, no matter who I played with on the country, it would be the same scenario."

Bopanna and Balaji plan to compete in a couple of ATP events, starting with the Hamburg Open, to prepare for the Olympics.

"We want to get to know each other better and try to prepare better than what we have done before," Bopanna said.

Bopanna and Balaji are not just aiming to participate in the Olympics; they believe they have a chance to medal.

"Every athlete who goes into Olympics wants to win a medal," Bopanna said. "There is 100 percent that belief. We want to do better than the previous time. That's how life is. You want to do better. You want to keep going higher and higher."

Tags: #RohanBopanna, #NSriramBalaji, #ParisOlympics, #Tennis, #IndianTennis