ANI
18 Sep 2023, 16:25 GMT+10
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)[India], September 18 (ANI): After securing a victory over Morocco in the World Group II tie, Rohan Bopanna made an exit from the Davis Cup. Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri thrashed the pair of Elliot Benchetrit-Younes Lalami Laaroussi 6-2, 6-1 in the doubles match played at the Vijayant Khand Mini Stadium in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow on Sunday.
Bopanna's powerful forehands found no answer from the opposite camp.
"Sad to be leaving the Davis Cup, but also simultaneously proud to have played for such a long time. I thank the entire nation for the support and all the teammates, the captain I have played under. It's been a great journey, a great learning experience," Bopanna said during the post-match press conference.
The 43-year-old, however, is happy that he will now get time to spend with his family. Speaking about the tie, he said,"It was extremely important for us to go to World Group I play-offs where India should be and work our way upwards."India's non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal, who is also Executive Committee Member of the Indian Olympic Association, said Bopanna will be missed. "For any captain, when you have a player like Rohan Bopanna, a towering figure, there's always a fight about who wants to play with him. All of them wantto play doubles with him," Rajpal commented.
"The whole team is under the shock of his decision not wanting to continue. But certainly, he's passed on great knowledge to Yuki (Bhambri) and Ram (Ramanathan Ramkumar). We will continue to take his guidance and benefit from it," he added.
Rajpal felt Indian doubles players have always left a legacy behind, but it's the singles that needs to be the focus.
"We are a tough team and we put a lot of heart into the Davis Cup. When we are playing, we are a tough team to beat. At the same time, if we must beat top teams then we certainly need to have very good singles performances from our players, because there are four points for singles. We need to develop more depth in terms of our singles in the team," the captain opined.
According to Bopanna, there are some talented players in the team to take it forward from here and he will always be around to help them. Bopanna believes exit from the Davis Cup is not the end of his career.
"Couple of days at home and I will be right back on the road. Tennis is a very busy schedule, coming from New York and then back to China so it's a lot of travel. I am going on a high. With a week of practice before we go to Hangzhou [for the Asian Games]," he said.
With this victory, India will now play World Group I play-off in 2024.(ANI)Get a daily dose of Kenya Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Kenya Star.
More InformationVancouver [Canada], July 11 (ANI): Canadian journalist Daniel Bordman called the attack on a cafe owned by comedian Kapil Sharma a...
KHARTOUM, July 10 (Xinhua) -- It was 2 p.m. in a displacement camp on the outskirts of Port Sudan, where the relentless sun had already...
The 17th BRICS summit was more than a photo op. It was a coordinated rejection of Western power and a declaration of intent A few...
New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder has revealed that legendary West Indies batter Brian Lara...
URUMQI, July 10 (Xinhua) -- A total of 24 journalists from 23 countries have participated in a media tour of northwest China's Xinjiang...
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], July 10 (ANI): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: With just weeks to spare before a potential government default, U.S. lawmakers passed a sweeping tax and spending...
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], July 11 (ANI): Awami National Party (ANP) leader Maulana Khan Zeb and a police personnel were shot dead...
(Photo credit: Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) The Department of Justice followed through on...
Vancouver [Canada], July 11 (ANI): Canadian journalist Daniel Bordman called the attack on a cafe owned by comedian Kapil Sharma a...
The package could reportedly include Patriot air defense missiles US President Donald Trump will for the first time use his authority...
The package could reportedly include Patriot air defense missiles US President Donald...