Bengaluru, Veteran star Rohan Bopanna was delighted to see the emergence of Dhakshineswar Suresh and Vaishnavi Adkar but underlined the need to develop the tennis landscape in India in a more structured manner.
Both Dhakshineswar and Vaishnavi have been impressive in recent tournaments, with the latter becoming the first Indian woman after Sania Mirza to reach the final of a W100 event.
“Really happy for them. I think once he’s done with college, he’s to come there and see the challenges in the challenger circuit. That is where the real journey begins. And yes, of course, he has a massive game,” Bopanna told PTI during an interaction facilitated by ASICS India.
“Having a serve like that, especially in men’s tennis, makes a huge difference. I think he’s got great potential. Just having the right team around him, I think, could change so many wonderful aspects of his game and get him on the right path,” he added.
Bopanna also lauded Vaishnavi for making rapid progress in the circuit.
“Vaishnavi has already shown tremendous progress. I really want to see if we can build a structure around them. We don’t have a structure, whether it is singles, doubles, anything.
“Whoever has come up in this country has done it on their own pathway, and we haven’t really built a structure there. And that is what is going to make a difference is to create a journey for youngsters to even have a roadmap to get there and play at the highest level,” he noted.
The two-time Grand Slam champion in doubles said he would like to mentor these upcoming players at his academy – the RBTA.
“I think the biggest thing is to tying up with the right partners. I think that is the key, not only to help athletes, but to really build an ecosystem. And that is where I feel I can bring in all my experience of being on the tour for such a long period of time.
“I have access to all the top coaches across the world, which gives me a great edge to guide these players and help them in that journey,” he said.
Exciting to see squash in LA Games
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Veteran squash player Joshna Chinnappa, however, is nourishing a different dream at 39 – the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 where the sport will make its debut.
“It’s very exciting that squash is finally in the Olympics. It should have been there a long time ago. But having said that, it’s just raised the profile of the sport so much. There’s a lot more support coming in as well for all the squash players.
“And yeah, I definitely think we have a winning prospect. As far as me wanting to go for the 2028, let’s see. I’m taking one month at a time right now based on my body and my health,” she said.
Chinnappa was also elated to see the talent rush in Indian squash.
“It’s grown leaps and bounds. Before it was just Saurav, Dipika and me for many years. And now you have obviously Annie , Abhay, Veer, Ramit, there’s me, there’s Tanvi. So it’s almost like eight of us now who are really solid on the ground. “That is just a testament to how much effort has been put in from the federation, from the governments, the state government and also our own efforts to try and make a mark on the world map. And that’s what we’re seeing right now,” she said.
