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Goal is to break into top-30, says Divij
Bopanna is currently ranked 39 while Sharan is placed 46 and the two will be looking to improve their rankings before June 8. The two won the Asian Games gold in 2018 and looked a solid combination in the making.
Divij Sharan and Rohan Bopanna came together to play a series of tournaments at the start of the year with an eye on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They soon realised that with their rankings they were not getting direct entry into big-ticket tournaments and decided to work their way up the ladder with different partners. Going into the Olympic year, Sharan says their goal is to push their rankings up at the start of the year to make the cut for Tokyo.
Bopanna is currently ranked 39 while Sharan is placed 46 and the two will be looking to improve their rankings before June 8. The two won the Asian Games gold in 2018 and looked a solid combination in the making.
“We started the year together but we were not getting into the bigger tournaments. Rohan got the opportunity to play with Denis Shapovalov whose singles ranking was helpful. He has had a chance to play (with) him (Shapovalov) at the ATP 1000 events and got some good wins there.
“We need to get the rankings higher as a team and it only helps us to make the cut for the Olympics,” said Sharan, who was here competing alongside Bopanna for Petroleum Sports Promotion Board in the inter-unit meet at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association.
“We have had different partners but we still try to practice with each other in tournaments. We will pick a few tournaments to play closer to the Olympics and continue to work on our games and try to practice with each other,” he said.
It has been a busy year for Sharan. He competed in 31 tournaments and won two ATP 250 titles—TATA Open Maharashtra with Boappana and St. Petersburg Open with Igor Zelenay.
“It’s the first time that I have won two ATP titles in one year and I am looking forward to coming back stronger next year. My rankings dropped a little but if I get a few good results at the start of the year I am going to get closer to 30. It will help me get into all the ATP Masters and ATP 1000 events because that is where you have the biggest points.”
Sharan is hoping to find a stable partner on the court. He played with 10 different partners last year. “It would be nice to have one partner but there are times you have to play with others. Doubles is very different these days, lot of teams keep changing and I hope I can settle down into a stable partnership.”
Sharan and Bopanna played nine tournaments together in 2019, including the Australian Open Grand Slam where they lost in the first round. Left-handed Sharan feel they complement each other on the court.
“He has got a big game, big serve and even off the baseline he is really powerful. I am good at the net and with my returns. The understanding is there. We are great friends on and off the court, so that helps.” Taking a break from the gruelling tennis circuit, Sharan got married to British tennis player Samantha Murray at his home here last month. “It’s great to have someone as life partner who is a tennis player. We understand each other,” he said.
