Image Source – The Statesman

With a considerable following among Indians, tennis is a sport played and watched by many sports enthusiasts. Many youngsters are eager to take up tennis as a career. The Sports School, Bangalore, offers budding tennis players the opportunity to pursue the athletes’ careers and receive training and mentoring from none other than the Indian Tennis Player Rohan Bopanna. 

All About Bopanna’s Game

Born in 1980, Rohan Bopanna started playing tennis when he was 11 years old. He played at his first professional international match in 2007 when he stood out at the Hopman Cup as India’s and the world’s most distinguished players. His game has been categorized as serve-oriented. Bopanna has played singles, doubles, and mixed doubles at the Grand Slams for over ten years. 

With his stellar athletic career as a Grand Slam champion, Rohan Bopanna has consistently proven himself a top performer. He won the Masters 1000 events and has been a regular ATP player. He has played doubles matches with India’s greatest, including Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza, Leander Paes, and multiple international tennis players. In 2007, Bopanna’s partnership with Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi gave the duo the moniker “Indo-Pak express” as the two earned huge praises regarding their collaboration and camaraderie on the court. 

Rohan Bopanna’s Ranks

• Honors and Accolades

Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna has the global ranking of number three. He has played for India at various tournaments, including the Olympics, Davis Cup, Hopman Cup, and was nominated for the Champion for Peace award in 2010 by Peace and Sport, based in Monaco. 

• Tennis Style

Bopanna can be often seen playing tennis with the one-handed backhand which he has mastered to hit both flat and spin. His forehand has got a bounce and topspin, making it a more solemn form of play. He is known for his quick serves, which fetch him the majority points. 

His reflexes are incredibly sharp, making him very proficient in using the net to his advantage and passing shots. He is extremely agile and makes an excellent doubles partner across all formats. Not easy to lob, Bopanna is a great overhead player as well. With time, his gameplay has improved on the offense and the defense, and Rohan Bopanna is extremely capable of playing across all surfaces of courts.   

Notable Achievements – 

• Stop War Start Tennis –

  Awarded the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year (2010) with Qureshi for promoting team spirit between India and Pakistan.

• Eklavya Award–

  Awarded by the government of Karnataka in 2005 for his gameplay and achievements 

• Olympics 2016–

  Runner up in the mixed doubles category at the Olympic finals in 2016

• Masters 1000 Tournament –
  

  Played 9 doubles matches, winning 4 titles and 5 runner-ups in the Masters 1000 tournament.

• Grand Slam achievements – 

  • Runner up, doubles (2010)
  • 1 title, 1 runner up, mixed doubles (2017, 2018)
  • 2 runner ups, doubles (2012, 2015)

• Played 47 doubles matches in the span of his ATP career

Association with The Sports School Tennis Academy

Image Source – Indian Tennis Daily

At the Sports School Tennis Academy, Bangalore, we offer an enriching career in tennis alongside academics to budding tennis players in India and are proud to be associated with one of the world’s best known professional tennis players, Rohan Bopanna. With his mentoring, we have developed a niche curriculum that comprises a balance of fitness and sports skills and structured academic programs to provide students with well-rounded exposure and access to one of India’s best tennis programs. 

From beginner to advanced level programs, Rohan Bopanna provides insight and helps children to polish their technique required on a tennis court. He is a globally qualified coach and trainer and is at the helm of tennis coaching at the Sports School.   

At The Sports School, we are incredibly proud of collaborating with Rohan Bopanna – a real idol and mentor, Bopanna is not just known for his tennis gameplay but is also an inspiration in terms of his philanthropic work. He has been internationally recognized for promoting peace and team spirit, which we believe helps enhance one’s character. Known for his discipline and positive attitude, Bopanna is an excellent fit for our team of coaches and trainers and students committed to learning professional tennis. 

Get in touch with The Sports School Tennis Academy today to find out more about how your child can excel at their gameplay under Rohan Bopanna’s able mentorship.

The post Rohan Bopanna – Career Journey appeared first on The Sports School.

Top 10 Emerging Tennis Players Of 2021

Each year exciting new talent from around the world makes watching tennis a spectacle. These emerging players challenge the established names as they attempt to take control of the future of the sport. Here is a list of Top 10 Emerging Tennis Players of 2021 to watch out for:

1. Sumit Nagal

Image Source – India TV News

The 23-year-old Sumit Nagal burst into the spotlight when he won the Wimbledon boys’ double title in 2015. His highest world ranking is 122 and he has earned career prize money of US$ 386,368. In 2020 he made it to the second round of the US Open, his best finish in a singles men’s grand slam event. Nagal has been a regular member of Indian Davis Cup teams since 2016.

2. Alexander Zverev

Image Source- Eurosport

Alexander Zverev is German tennis player who has already reached the heady heights of No. 3 in the ATP rankings. Zverev, who is 23 years old, reached the final of the US Open in 2020 and in the same year was a semi-finalist in the Australian Open in Melbourne. His best tournament result was winning the Tour Finals in 2018. Zverev has been a permanent fixture in the top 10 since 2017 and it was widely expected that 2021 could be a breakout year for him.

3. Daniil Medvedev

Image Source – CNN International

Daniil Medvedev reached a career-high No. 3 ranking in February 2021. Medvedev, the right-handed player from Russia, has already made a relative fortune in tennis, earning US$ 15,738,259 without having won a Grand Slam title. He was a finalist in the 2021 Australian Open as tennis returned after a gap caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. He was also a finalist in the US Open in 2019.

4. Prajnesh Gunneswaran

Image Source – Tennis 4 India

Prajnesh Gunneswaran has won 2 ATP Challenger and 8 ITF titles in singles and 1 ITF title in doubles. Among currently active Indian singles players, Gunneswaran achieved the highest ranking, hitting No. 75 in 2019. He then gained entry into the main draw in Wimbledon but lost in the first round to Milas Raonic. However, he has since slipped down to No. 129. Gunneswaran won the bronze medal in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. 

5. Denis Shapovalov

Image Source – Tennis Majors

Denis Shapovalov, the Canadian 21-year-old, became the youngest player since 2005 to break into the top 30 of the ATP Rankings for men when he achieved the feat. Although currently ranked No. 11 in the world, his best ranking was one spot higher. He is currently the seventh youngest player ranked within the ATP top 100. The left-hand player has notched up a little over US $6 million in earnings in his fledgling career so far.

6. Pablo Carreno Busta

Image Source – ATP Tour

At 29, Pablo Carreno Busta could be called a bit of a late bloomer. The Spanish player, who has been around the circuit for a while, reached a career-high No. 10 ranking in 2017. As a singles player his best performances have come in the US Open, where he reached the semi finals first in 2017 and again in 2020. Busta was up by two sets in the semifinal but was beaten by Alexander Zverev who made a strong comeback into the match.

7. Felix Auger Aliassime

Image Source – Essentially Sports

Felix Auger Aliassime is the youngest player in the top 25 of the ATP singles rankings for men. With seven runners up finishes on the ATP tour, Aliassime achieved a career best ranking of 17. The tall right-handed player from Canada was an early star, becoming one of only seven players to win a Challenger by age 16. He also holds the record for being the youngest to win a match in the main draw of the Challenger tour, at 14 years and 11 days. In 2019, Aliassime made it to three finals and to the third round in Wimbledon.

8. Jannik Sinner

Image Source- Italy24news

Jannik Sinner is one of the most exciting young prospects in the world game, having caught the eye while still only 19 years old. The Italian right-hander was active in skiing, football and tennis as a child growing up in the South Tyrol region, but took seriously to the racquet sport. He has been ranked as high as No. 32 in the world by ATP. At the 2020 French Open in Roland Garros, Paris, he became the youngest quarterfinalist in the men’s singles event since Novak Djokovic in 2006. That was his best showing in a Grand Slam event.

9. Taylor Fritz

Image Source – USOpen.org

Taylor Fritz is one of the brightest young prospects from the United States of America, a country that has been a stronghold of tennis over the years. Fritz reached an ATP final in only his third tournament at the level, becoming the second fastest American to the achievement. Fritz has tennis in his blood; his mother Kathy May Fritz was a top 10 player and his father was named US Olympic Development coach of the year in 2016. Fritz is currently ranked No. 31 in the world.

10. Alex Di Minaur

Image Source- Tennis World USA

Alex Di Minaur is a 22-year-old Australian tennis player who also has Spanish citizenship. He has achieved considerable success in a short span, reaching a career high No. 18 ranking in 2019. Coached by Adolfo Gutierrez and countrymen Lleyton Hewitt, Di Minaur has never been past the third round of a Grand Slam, achieving the feat in 2019 and 2021. He has picked up US$ 4.5 million in prize money and experts believe this is only the beginning.

If Tennis is your passion, consider training with Rohan Bopanna The Sports School Tennis Academy.

Tennis Program at Rohan Bopanna The Sports School Tennis Academy brings a refreshing new dimension to tennis coaching in India. We offer an innovative and balanced curriculum that puts equal emphasis on both fitness and sports skills. It consists of well-structured, varied level programs that are mapped on global best practices to give young talent the finest and integrated advanced-level tennis program in India.

The Sports School, a Kalpen Ventures initiative, in association with JAIN GROUP OF INSTITUTIONS (JGI), a 28-year-old educational conglomerate, aims for a holistic approach to educate and guide students. With 85 institutes across India, JGI not only brings in elite thought leadership, but also focuses on empowering talent across the nation by encouraging curiosity, learning and initiative. JGI’s alumni include over 10+ Arjuna, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan Awardees and 300+ sportsperson of International and National repute. Our world-class infrastructure and amenities include unbeatable installations that are exclusively designed to optimize the intellectual, personal, and social development of young and professional sportspeople.

[maxbutton id=”1″ url=”https://thesportsschool.com/” text=”Know more” ]

The post Top 10 Emerging Tennis Players Of 2021 appeared first on The Sports School.