By IANS
New Delhi : Rohan Bopanna after silencing his critics by winning the opening rubber against Japan in India’s crucial Davis Cup tie, is confident of moving into the top 20 of the international doubles rankings.
Bopanna, who is currently ranked 55th in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) doubles, has been suffering from tendonitis in the run-up to the tie but still insisted on playing the first match. With a heavily strapped left knee he beat debutant Kei Nishikori 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in a marathon match that lasted two hours twenty-five minutes to give India the lead Friday.
“We all have dreamt of playing in the Davis Cup. So, it is a great feeling to pull off such a match. This has been a great practice for me. Hopefully, I will break into the top twenty in doubles by the year-end,” Bopanna said.
The 27-year-old admitted that he went into the match not with a mentality to silence his critics but to win it for the country.
“I wasn’t out there to prove anyone anything. I wanted to win the match. I was playing for the flag, for my country,” he said.
Bopanna also said that the controversies doffing the Indian team have not affected the players.
“At the moment we all are comfortable with each other. We are focusing only on the tie. We hope to seal the tie at the earliest” he said.