Every partnership takes time, says Rohan Bopanna

Bengaluru: With a first Chennai Open title in his kitty, Rohan Bopanna is keen to continue his good form heading into the season opening Grand Slam in Australia beginning next week.

The veteran doubles star clinched his first trophy of the season, partnering fellow countryman Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan. “It’s always good to win a title, especially starting the year with one is really good. Jeevan and I played really well together as a team and came through with the win,” said Bopanna during a phone interview from Sydney.

The fact that the doubles final featured four Indians for the first time, with the losing team comprising Purav Raja and Divij Sharan, makes it all the more amazing for the 36-year-old. “It’s very proud movement that Divij and Purav also made the finals. I think it’s a big step that all these guys are taking charge and showing that they can compete with the best in the world. It’s good to see that there are lot more positive things happening in Indian tennis.

“I feel that if we have a proper system in place in India then we will have more and more players coming through,” he remarked. Playing at the Grand Slam warm-up event in Sydney, Bopanna, partnering for the first time with Pablo Cuevas, is keen to hit the ground running.

“I’m looking forward to partnering him in the next few months. Obviously (the win in Chennai) is a confidence boost. You are playing good tennis but having said that, Cuevas and me are playing together for the first time and we need to really build on that and see how that works. Every new partnership takes time to develop the understanding. So we have to take one match at a time,” revealed Bopanna, who endorses Zeven.

“Every tournament I play, I go to win the tournament and at the Australian Open too, that will be the goal,” he stressed, adding that he will ‘take it as it comes’ in terms of his involvement in the Davis Cup.