Bopanna's last dance with unfancied Balaji; stiff test awaits in-form Nagal

Paris: Rohan Bopanna, the oldest player in the Indian contingent at 44, might not have a strong partner he had in previous Olympics, but in N Sriram Balaji, the veteran tennis player has a comrade, who can punch above his weight in Paris when they compete in men's doubles event.

India's first and only tennis medal in Olympics came back in 1996, when Leander Paes created history with a singles bronze at the Atlanta Games.

India did not win an Olympic medal even when the legendary Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi competed together in Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008). Not even when Bopanna had Bhupathi as his partner in 2012 in London.

Not even when Paes and Bopanna played as a pair in 2016 and not even when Bopanna had Sania Mirza on the same side of the court in Rio Games in mixed doubles. These are the most successful names in Indian tennis, the only players to have won Grand Slam titles in the country's history.

To expect Bopanna to deliver the goods with Balaji, who has barely started playing at the big stage, is implausible. Yet, they are preparing in the best possible manner, given the limitations.

They competed as a team in Hamburg and skipped the Umag tournament in Croatia to give themselves a few practice hours at Roland Garros, a venue where Bopanna has some great memories.

At this very venue he had won his first Grand Slam when he triumphed in mixed doubles with Gabriela Dabrwoski in 2017.

"It's the biggest arena for a clay court tournament, and representing India at Roland Garros is very, very special. Those memories help me every time I come here. It's a tournament where I have always done well because of those memories," said Bopanna.

What this pair can promise is a genuine fight till the end and in the process, if it manages to make the medal round, it will be a huge bonus. There are two primary reasons why this pair is capable of giving a tough time to its rival -- one, Bopanna is playing the tennis of his life at this stage of his career. He is fearless, can soak up pressure, and can lift the team out of the pits, having learned to control his nerves at match-defining points.

Second, Balaji has shown in the limited opportunities he has got that he has the heart of a big player. The way he competed in the singles in Islamabad on grass and the way he stretched Bopanna and Matthew Ebden in the French Open with Mexican partner Miguel Reyes-Varelas is noteworthy.

An assessment of big-match temperament and potential is not possible in these two scenarios but Balaji has shown that he won't bow down to the big boys. His serve and athleticism are his biggest strengths, that nicely compliment Bopanna's experience.

At 44, Bopanna's is nearing the end of his career. He has already retired from Davis Cup and these are probably his last few months on the ATP Tour. At an age when players usually settle nicely post retirement, Bopanna raked up the biggest wins of his career.

At 43, he became the oldest player to win a Grand Slam when he triumphed at the Australian Open with Matthew Ebden in 2023 and also achieved the numeo uno status in ATP doubles rankings after that.

Can he end India's nearly three-decade long wait for a tennis Olympic medal and walk into the sunset in a befitting manner? Well, there are fairytale endings and who knows, Bopanna too has one for him in store.

They open their campaign against French duo of Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Fabien Reboul.

Challenge of Sumit Nagal

The player from Jhajjar can be proud of himself having sealed a direct entry into the Games, considering the fact that he did not figure even in the top 500 at the start of the 2023 season.

The counter-puncher has made his way up the rankings on the back of a consistent run and, in the process, scalped a few big names like Alexander Bublik.

It's a Grand Slam field in Paris in the men's singles and Nagal will only get richer in experience. He will run into local hope Corentin Moutet in the first round and if he can clear the opening hurdle, he might have to contend with Australian world number six and Wimbledon quarterfinalist Alex di Minaur next.

He had made the second round in Tokyo with win over Denis Istomin and he is expected to match that result, considering that Moutet is a rival he knows well and has beaten him only three months back.