Tokyo Olympics: Disappointment as Rohan Bopanna, Divij Sharan to Miss Men’s Doubles Tennis Event

Tokyo Olympics: Disappointment as Rohan Bopanna, Divij Sharan to Miss Men’s Doubles Tennis Event

Rohan Bopann, Divij Sharan to miss the cut for Tokyo Olympics

In a major setback for India’s chances in Tennis at the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian men’s pair Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan failed to qualify for the Olympics and will miss out on the men’s doubles events. This also means that India’s hopes in the mixed doubles will come to an end.

The Indian men were dependant on large scale withdrawals for a spot in the Olympics, since the pair, Bopanna(38) and Sharan (75) had a low combined ranking of 113.

“The ITF has confirmed that Bopanna and Divij could not be entered as a team in the men’s doubles team. However, things might change till July 16 (if there are more withdrawals),” an AITA source told PTI. However, even if there are more withdrawals, the pair’s chances of making the cut are extremely low.

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Indian’s Mixed Doubles Team will Also not be at the Tokyo Olympics

Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna - Finished 4th at Rio Olympics 2016
Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna – Finished 4th at Rio Olympics 2016

The disappointment of the men’s qualification does not stop, as it means that there will be no mixed doubles pair entering the Tokyo Olympics. As per the rules, only those players can be a part of the mixed team event who are already in one of the main draws (either singles or doubles).

Since Bopanna failed to qualify through the main draw, he cannot join Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles event. Sania Mirza and her partner Ankita Raina qualified for the women’s doubles event at the Tokyo Olympics. Sania and Bopanna came close to winning bronze in the Rio Olympics, but were beaten by the Czech pair.

The Covid 19 pandemic affected and limited the number of tournaments that the pair could play making it tough for both Bopanna and Sharan to improve their rankings. For now, only the women’s doubles pair will be making an appearance at the Tokyo Olympics this year.

Also read: Simona Halep pulls out of Tokyo Olympics