N. Sriram Balaji, who is currently enjoying the best form of his life at the age of 34, is gearing up for his first-ever Olympic appearance. Balaaji will team up with the current doubles world No. 2, Rohan Bopanna, at the mega event. Before heading to Paris, the duo will play in the Hamburg Open on July 16 against the German pair J. Schnaitter and Mark Wallner. Also, both will nurture their partnership at the ATP 250 in Umag, Croatia, ahead of the Paris Olympics.
“We will be playing in the ATP 500 in Hamburg (Germany) and the ATP 250 in Umag (Croatia). We will get together right after the completion of Wimbledon,” Sriram told TOI.
Hamburg Open, the perfect spot to nurture the partnership
There is no doubt that the Hamburg Open will play a crucial role for this duo, who are aiming for a medal. Both Bopanna and Balaji enjoy playing on clay courts. However, it is also important to mention that Rohan Bopanna did not have a good outing in the last few clay tournaments, whether it was at the French Open or other clay court tournaments like the Madrid Open, where the duo of Bopanna and Ebden were knocked out in the first round.
Looking ahead to the Paris 2024 Olympics, this could be a positive opportunity for Bopanna, as he won the French Open mixed doubles in 2017 alongside Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski. Now, he will compete for the Olympic medal at the same venue, which may bode well for him. Also, N. Sriram Balaji, as mentioned, is enjoying the prime of his career; he recently reached the finals of the Brawo Open (Challenger) in Germany, partnering with Gonzalo Escobar, which is a good indication ahead of the Olympic event.
Rohan Boppana’s role in adding Sriram Balaji to Paris Olympics 2024
It is valuable to note that Yuki Bhambri was the closest challenger to Sriram Balaji in teaming up with Rohan Bopanna. However, the recent French Open changed everything for Balaji. The Tamil Nadu tennis player impressed Bopanna in the third round, where Balaji and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela engaged in a neck-and-neck challenge against Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden.
Although Balaji and Miguel lost the match, it created a significant impact on Bopanna. Sriram Balaji disclosed, “The French Open performance played its part, but I will not say that it was the only reason for my selection. After the match, Bopanna told me that he was going to pick me and send an email to the AITA. He must have had extensive discussions with his coach Scott [Davidoff] and Balu sir (M. Balachandran) for the ideal choice, and I did not know anything about this”.
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