Rohan Bopanna: Age cannot be a stumbling block to winning on the biggest stage

It was a straightforward selection of the Davis Cup team, but the choice of a reserve player caused considerable anguish in the tennis circles.

Published : Feb 02, 2022 14:56 IST

Niki Poonacha is a two-time winner of the National Tennis Championships.
Niki Poonacha is a two-time winner of the National Tennis Championships.
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Niki Poonacha is a two-time winner of the National Tennis Championships.

It was a straightforward selection of the Davis Cup team , but the choice of a reserve player caused considerable anguish in the tennis circles.

While everyone accepts the 34-year-old Saketh Myneni as a seasoned professional and capable of a big game, especially on grass, the choice of 1410th-ranked Digvijay Pratap Singh ahead of the 745th-ranked Niki Poonacha, a two-time national champion, upset Rohan Bopanna.

“I asked the chairman Nandan Bal about the reason for not taking Niki. I was told that age was the criteria. It is not fair. Niki is 26. Manish Sureshkumar is only 22 and ranked 675. Why was he not selected? It is very disappointing, especially for the players who work so hard,” said Bopanna.

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Pointing out that the youngest player in the team was the 27-year-old Ramkumar, Bopanna said it was unfair to keep a player out even from the reserves on the basis of age.

“Rafael Nadal on Sunday showed us that age cannot be a stumbling block to winning on the biggest stage. At 41, I won a Tour title before the Australian Open. We keep asking why the national championship does not get the importance, but we don’t respect a two-time national champion who has also won an ITF singles title,” argued Bopanna.

“Sidharth Rawat is ranked 582. He could have been taken,” suggested Bopanna.

The 21-year-old Digvijay Pratap Singh had finished runner-up in the national championship to Niki Poonacha. There are two dozen Indian players ranked higher than Digvijay on the ATP circuit.

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