Rohan Bopanna

Rohan Bopanna

Country (sports)	India
Residence	Bangalore, India
Born	(1980-03-04) March 4, 1980 Bangalore, India
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Turned pro	2003
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money	USA$ 358,891
Singles
Career record	9–22
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 213 (23 July 2007)
Doubles
Career record	33–33
Career titles	2
Highest ranking	No. 11 (16 May 2011)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	3R (2008)
French Open	1R (2008, 2009)
Wimbledon	QF (2010)
US Open	F (2010)
Last updated on: September 26, 2010.

Rohan Bopanna (Template:Lang-kn) (born 4 March 1980) is an Indian professional tennis player and a doubles specialist who gained worldwide recognition for his partnership with Pakistani tennis player Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.

Bopanna, who started playing tennis when he was 11 years old, reached his career high doubles rankings on 15 November 2010 when he was ranked world no.13 by the ATP Rankings. He had previously reached his career high singles rankings of world no.213 on 23 July 2007. Rohan's breakthrough year was the 2010 season, when his pairing with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi turned into a formidable partnership. Rohan and Aisam, started playing together as a doubles team in the middle of 2007 with the nickname - 'IndoPak Express' and went on to win 4 Challenger titles in quick succession. However, it was only in the 2010 season that the they made significant waves on the international platform and broke into the top 10 doubles teams in the world. The duo made it to the Final of the US Open, the Quarter-Final of Wimbledon, the Final of 5 ATP Tour Events and won the Johannesburg Open, all in the same year. Rohan also played a decisive role in India's 2010 Davis Cup triumph over Brazil, taking India to the World Group for the first time in 89 years.

Rohan has played several times for the Indian Davis Cup team and made significant contributions at the 2007 Hopman Cup alongside Sania Mirza, where he lost his first single match, but clinched a 2–1 victory over the Czech Republic in the final and decisive doubles match. In their second confrontation against Croatia the same scenario happened again as Mirza won her match, Bopanna lost his single, but together they managed to defeat the Croats to end up with four points out of two matches. This result increased their chances of reaching the final with one more clash versus Spain to go. India eventually lost to Spain, but established Rohan as one of India's finest tennis players.

Interestingly, Rohan's first ATP doubles title came in the 2008 Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles with Eric Butorac.

Early life

Rohan began playing tennis at the tender age of 11, because his father wanted him to pursue an individual sport. He did enjoy other games like hockey and football, but by the time he turned 19 tennis became his main priority. His father, Mr. M.G. Bopanna, is a coffee planter, and his mother, Mrs. Malika Bopanna, is a housewife and an ardent supporter of Rohan's career. They live in Coorg, which is a four hour drive from Bangalore. He has an elder sister who lives in Mumbai.Growing up, Rohan idolized and was greatly influenced by the legendary Stefan Edberg. He made his Davis Cup debut for India versus Australia in September 2002 and turned pro in 2003.

2009

Rohan started 2009 fairly well by qualifying for the Chennai Open, but he lost in the 1st round of the Main Draw. In February, he made it to the Finals of the SAP Open in San Jose with Jarkko Nieminen.

2010

Rohan Bopanna started the year on a high, reaching the Quarter-Final of the Chennai Open in doubles, partnering with Mahesh Bhupathi. In February, together with Aisam he won his second (and their first) ATP Doubles Title beating Karol Beck and Harel Levy in the Final of the Johannesburg Open 2–6, 6–3, (10–5). The IndoPak Express then steamrolled into the Final of the Grand Prix Hassan II, a clay court event in Casablanca, Morocco. They then stormed into the Final of the Nice Open before losing to the Brazilian pair of Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares. In June, Rohan made it to the Quarter-Final of a slam for the first time in his career at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships partnering with Qureshi. Surprisingly he was the only Indian left in the men's doubles draw, a draw which included five Indians to begin with. The 2010 Wimbledon Championships also saw the slogan 'Stop War Start Tennis' appear for the first time. As the story goes, Aisam's coach Robert Davis coined the term and then spray-painted it on the pair's playing gear. The slogan soon gained worldwide recognition as Indians, Pakistanis and sports fans at large started to support their campaign. After a successful Wimbledon, Rohan followed it up with another Final finish at the Atlanta Open. With all roads leading to the US Open, Rohan and Aisam got the biggest win of their careers as the beat the Bryan Brothers at the Legg Mason Tennis Classics in Washington. The IndoPak Express stunned the world no.1 at the Quarter-Final 7-6, 7-5, before falling at the Semi-Final stage to Mardy Fish and Mark Knowles. Rohan went on to reach the Finals of the New Haven Open and the St.Petersburg Open with Aisam, before what is now considered to be a watershed moment in his career - the 2010 US Open.

The 2010 US Open was the first time Bopanna reached the Finals of a Grand Slam tournament. His partnership with Aisam saw them enter the slam as the no.16 seeds. They faced a tough opener against the all American team of Brian Battistone and Ryler DeHeart, beating them 6-3,7-6. In Round 2 they eliminated Kohlmann and Nieminen 6-4,6-4. Round 3 saw the biggest upset, as the pair took out no. 2 seeds Nestor and Zimonjic 6-3,6-4. In a highly entertaining Quarter-Final, Rohan's big serves were on song as they knocked out Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman 7-5,7-6. In their first ever Semi-Final appearance, Rohan and Aisam defeated the Argentine pair of Schwank and Zeballos 7-6,6-4. The big serving Rohan was spot on again as he accumulated on ace after another. Bopanna even pounded an overhead over his shoulder while retrieving a lob to force an error, causing the commentator Pam Shriver to compare it to Roger Federer's between-the-legs winners against Novak Djokovic and Brian Dabul. Rohan became an overnight sensation, as his pairing with Aisam attracted the attention of the worldwide media. Even the ambassadors of India and Pakistan came to support the duo at the Finals as they took on the world no.1 team of Bob and Mike Bryan. Despite their credible performance, the pair lost the Final 6-7,6-7 in two closely fought tie-breaks. Rohan was exceptional on serve and managed to conjure some high intensity aces.

Rohan played a crucial role in India's triumph at the Davis Cup in Chennai against Brazil. Rohan won the decider against Rocardo Mello 6-3,7-6,6-3 to clinch the tie 3-2 and take India into the World Group for the first time in 89 years.

Rohan finished the 2010 season as world no.16 and as the world no.8 team.

2011

Rohan began the 2011 season with Asiam at the Chennai Open in early January. With the IndoPak Express and the now re-united Indian Express - Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes on opposite sides of the draw, everyone was hoping for a dream Finals. Unfortunately Rohan and Aisam lost in the Quarter-Final to eventual finalists Robin Haase and David Martin 4-6,5-7. The duo however took the opportunity to launch their official 'Stop War Start Tennis' merchandise which is now available to fans across the world. Rohan then had a Semi-Final finish at the Medibank International in Sydney en route to the 2011 Australian Open. At the 2011 Davis Cup in Serbia, Rohan played the Singles and Doubles matches with Somdev Devvarman after Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi pulled out of the tournament due to injuries. Bopanna had many Serbian fans applauding his impressive winners but having clawed his way back into the match after falling two sets behind, he appeared to run out of steam in the fifth. The match ended at 3-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 3-6. This match Rohan Bopanna passed through the Singles qualifying ties to make it to the main draw of the 2011 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. 'Bofors Bopanna' defeated Canada's Peter Polansky in a close encounter 7-6, 3-6, 7-5, before outplaying Germany's Daniel Brands in straight sets 7-6, 7-6, to secure his spot in the top draw. The Bangalore boy knocked out much higher ranked opponents on the hard courts of the ATP Masters 1000 event, building on his spirited performances in India's recently concluded Davis Cup tie.

Champion of Peace

For his efforts in bridging political barriers through a long-standing personal friendship and commitment, Rohan Bopanna was nominated in 2010 as Campion for Peace by Monaco based organization - Peace and Sport. Rohan and Aisam Qureshi are currently, the only Tennis players to be nominated in the group alongside 47 other international sporting legends.

Recognized globally for their efforts, for their campaign 'Stop War Start Tennis'; along with Aisam, Rohan was awarded the renowned Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2010. The IndoPak Express were also the winners of the Peace and Sport's 'Image of the Year' Award voted for by their fans.

Rohan and Aisam, together have effortlessly contributed to the welfare of the society by laying emphasis on 'Stop War Start Tennis'. In 2010, he raised money for physically handicapped children at the Opportunity School in Coorg.

Stop War Start Tennis

Rohan Bopanna and Aisam Qureshi, popurlarly known as the IndoPak Express launched their official 'Stop War Start Tennis' merchandise at the Chennai Open in 2011. As part of this novel idea, some of the proceeds of the sale of the merchandise will go to Rohan and Aisam's respective charities. Rohan supports GoSports Foundation, a non-profit trust helping athletes across India; while Aisam's family charity - The Haq Foundation, has been doing a lot of relief work for flood victims in Pakistan, in addition to numerous charitable causes to aid the Pakistani people. The 'Stop War Start Tennis' merchandise is available online and can be shipped worldwide.

Personal life

Rohan resides in Bangalore, where he is also the part owner of a very popular restaurant. A grass court enthusiast, his favorite tournament is Wimbledon and his favorite player is Stefan Edberg. His hobbies include golf, adventure sports and watching Bollywood movies. Rohan is a huge supporter of Manchester United Football Club. His favourite holiday destination is Koh Samui, Thailand. Rohan considers Aisam one of his closest friends and the two have known each other for nearly 15 years.

Major finals

Grand Slam finals

Doubles: 1 (runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2010	US Open	Hard	Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	7-6(7-5), 7-6(7-4)

ATP Doubles Titles

Legend (Singles)

Grand Slam (0)

Tennis Masters Cup (0)

ATP Masters Series (0)

ATP International Series Gold (0)

ATP Tour (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents in the final	Score
1.	August 4, 2008	Los Angeles, United States	Hard	Eric Butorac	Travis Parrott Dušan Vemić	7–6(5), 7–6(5)
2.	February 7, 2010	Johannesburg, South Africa	Hard	Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi	Karol Beck Harel Levy	2–6, 6–3, [10–5]

ATP Doubles Runner-ups

Legend (Singles)

Grand Slam (1)

Tennis Masters Cup (0)

ATP Masters Series (0)

ATP International Series Gold (0)

ATP Tour (11)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents in the final	Score
1.	January 2, 2006	Chennai, India	Hard	Prakash Amritraj	Michal Mertiňák Petr Pála	2–6, 5–7
2.	September 25, 2006	Mumbai, India	Hard	Mustafa Ghouse	Mario Ančić Mahesh Bhupathi	4–6, 7–6(6), [8–10]
3.	September 24, 2007	Mumbai, India	Hard	Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi	Robert Lindstedt Jarkko Nieminen	6–7(3), 6–7(5)
4.	July 13, 2008	Newport, United States	Grass	Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi	Mardy Fish John Isner	4–6, 6–7(1)
5.	October 18, 2008	St. Petersburg, Russia	Hard (i)	Max Mirnyi	Travis Parrott Filip Polášek	6–3, 6–7(4), [8–10]
6.	February 15, 2009	San Jose, U.S.	Hard (i)	Jarkko Nieminen	Tommy Haas Radek Štěpánek	2–6, 3–6
7.	April 11, 2010	Casablanca, Morocco	Clay	Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi	Robert Lindstedt Horia Tecău	2–6, 6–3, [7–10]
8.	May 22, 2010	Nice, France	Clay	Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi	Marcelo Melo Bruno Soares	6–1, 3–6, [5–10]
9.	July 25, 2010	Atlanta, U.S.	Hard	Kristof Vliegen	Scott Lipsky Rajeev Ram	6–3, 6–7, [10-12]
10.	August 28, 2010	New Haven, U.S.	Hard	Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi	Robert Lindstedt Horia Tecău	4–6, 5–7
11.	September 11, 2010	New York, U.S.	Hard	Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	6–7, 6–7
12.	August 28, 2010	St. Petersburg, Russia	Hard(i)	Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi	Daniele Bracciali Potito Starace	6–7, 6–7

External links

• Rohan Bopanna at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Bopanna and Qureshi team up
• bio - file interview with Rohan Bopanna
• Bopanna and Qureshi spark India-Pakistan tennis diplomacy
• INTERVIEW-Tennis-Open-Friendship not politics behind pairing
• ATP DEUCE Magazine: Bridging A Great Divide, James Buddell (May 2010)
• Tennis players stand up for Peace and Sport at Wimbledon
• India-Pakistan tennis stars transcend national distrust
• Indian-Pakistani pair happy despite Wimbledon exit