ANI
18 Sep 2023, 20:55 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 Sierra Leone Times 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 Sierra Leone Times.
More InformationTOKYO, Japan: Tokyo-based startup Tsubame Industries has developed a four-wheeled robot that resembles the "Mobile Suit Gundam" from the popular ...
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - According to The News, the federal government is considering selling its stake in the Reko Diq project ...
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - U.S. stocks tumbled on Tuesday as interest rates on 10 and 30-year Treasury yields approached ...
DUBLIN, Ireland: The chief medical officer has issued a stark warning regarding the alarming levels of cannabis consumption in Ireland, ...
OAKLAND, California: As their current contract expires and their unions prepare to strike, Kaiser Permanente workers' representatives said, on September ...
FRANKFURT, Germany: Inflation in the eurozone hit a two-year low in September, signaling that the European Central Bank's (ECB) strategy ...
TRIPOLI, Libya: Italy and Libya resumed commercial flights for the first time in ten years on September 30, with flight ...
Dr. Denis Mukwege, a renowned Congolese gynecologist and human rights activist, announced plans Monday to run for president of the ...
New Delhi [India], October 4 (ANI): The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is less than a week away from now ...
Abuja [Nigeria], October 4 (ANI): As many as 18 people including a pregnant woman have been killed in an explosion ...
Accra, Ghana - Members of Ghana's major opposition National Democratic Congress took to the streets in the capital, Accra, on ...
LONDON - A new malaria vaccine approved Monday for use by the World Health Organization could be rolled out in ...