New Delhi: The 1996 Olympics was the pinnacle of Indian tennis as a sport. Against all odds, Leander Paes, at the age of 23, won bronze at the Atlanta Summer Games in 1996 despite not being a major power in the ATP Tour's worldwide rankings.
Paes was the first and only Indian tennis player to win an Olympic medal. Fast forward to 2024, India will be aiming to recreate what Paes achieved in 1996 and bring an end to the 28-year-long medal drought in the sport of tennis, which is majorly dominated by European countries.
The three-member contingent will represent India in tennis at the Paris Olympics. Veteran tennis player Rohan Bopanna, who has represented India in the Olympics twice in 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio), paired with N Sriram Balaji, will compete in the men's doubles while tennis phenom Sumit Nagal will vie for a medal in the men's singles.
The 44-year-old Bopanna comfortably secured a quota for India, maintaining a spot in the top 10 of the doubles rankings since November last year. He is also the oldest athlete of the Indian contingent in Paris. Meanwhile, Nagal made the cut-off after climbing 18 places in the singles rankings last month, occupying the last spot among the eligible players who secured quotas via world rankings.
India will not have a player competing in the women's event at the forthcoming Olympics in Paris since they have not yet discovered a player of Sania Mirza's calibre after her retirement.
Earlier this year, Bopanna fulfilled a lifelong dream by winning his first Grand Slam doubles title at the Australian Open, partnering with Australia's Matt Ebden. This tournament win propelled the Indian veteran to achieve world number one in doubles at the age of 43, becoming the oldest man in the Open Era to win a major men’s doubles title.
Bopanna narrowly missed a medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics when Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram defeated Bopanna and Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles quarterfinals. They then fell short against Radek Stepanek and Lucie Hradecka in the bronze medal playoff.
Now, Bopanna and Balaji, who haven't competed together, but given the former's remarkable tennis accomplishments and experience, there's a good chance they can win a medal.
In addition, all eyes will also be on Sumit Nagal, who has bagged an Olympic qualification after demonstrating consistency since last year and enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2024.
Nagal's efforts have led to a significant surge in the ranks. He was ranked 138th in the world at the start of the year, but he is currently ranked 68th in the ATP rankings.
Sumit's consistent play earned him a spot in the Olympic singles competition for the second time in a row. The Indian defeated Denis Istomin in the opening round of the Tokyo Olympics before falling to former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the second round.
The Indian, who excels on clay, has a decent opportunity to make an impression in Paris as it will be a good hunting ground for him.
The men's and women's singles events at Paris 2024 will each feature 64 players.
There will be five separate events contested at Paris 2024: Men's Singles, Women's Singles, Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles, Mixed Doubles
All the draws for the 2024 Olympic tennis events will be made on July 25.
Where will tennis matches take place at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
The 2024 Paris Olympics will be hosted in Paris, France, with the tennis events scheduled at Roland Garros – home to the French Open Grand Slam tournament.
Roland Garros will have 12 match courts in action, including the world-famous Court Philippe Chatrier and Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Tennis schedule for Paris Olympics 2024:
Men's singles: July 27 to August 4
Men's doubles: July 27 to August 3
Women's singles: July 27 to August 3
Women's doubles: July 27 to August 4
Mixed doubles: July 29 to August 2
IANS with edits