Indian tennis veteran Rohan Bopanna is mulling retirement from the Davis Cup tournament this year. The 43-year-old recently revealed in an interview that India's home games against Morocco in September might be the last time he plays in the prestigious tennis tournament for the country.
India are scheduled to play Morocco in a World Group II tie in Uttar Pradesh.
Bopanna made his Davis Cup debut in 2002 and has represented India in 32 ties throughout his career.
Bopanna's final Davis Cup to be played in UP
"I am planning to play my last Davis Cup match in September," Bopanna told PTI from London.
"I have been in the team since 2002. I want it to be held at home and I spoke to all the boys (Indian players) they are all happy to play in Bengaluru. KSLTA is also happy to have it there. Now it's up to our federation to see if they want to do it in Bangalore.
"Since I have been playing for 20 years, I just have to speak to captain and figure out if they want to do it there. It will be good for everyone to come and watch one last time. Playing at 43 is a bonus," Bopanna, who is only one on the four Indians to have won a Grand Slam title, added.
Bopanna however, won't be able to play his farewell match in his home state of Karnataka, as confirmed by the All India Tennis Association (AITA).
"To be fair, it would have been good for Rohan to play his last India-match in Bengaluru but we have already committed to UP. The tie will be played in Lucknow, it has already been decided," AITA Secretary General Anil Dhupar said.
Bopanna chasing Vijay Amritraj's record
Leander Paes has played the most number of ties for India with 58 appearances, followed by Jaideep Mukherjee (43), Ramanathan Krishnan (43), Premjit Lal (41) Anand Amirtraj (39), Mahesh Bhupathi (35), Vijay Amritraj (32).
So, Bopanna will overtake the legendary Vijay Amritraj in terms of number of Davis Cup appearances when he plays against Morocco. In his 32 ties, Bopanna won 12 singles matches and 10 doubles rubbers.
Bopanna's future plans
Asked if he will continue to play on the ATP Tour, Bopanna replied in an affirmative.
"If I don't play on Tour, another Indian won't get that spot. Like if I don't play Wimbledon it's not like that spot will go to an Indian. But in Davis Cup, my spot will go to an Indian. It's been so many years, so there is a bunch of players coming up. " Asked when did he decide to quit Davis Cup, Bopanna said,"I always had it in my mind that I have to stop at some point of time. And since this is a home tie, I thought it's a good time to go. For country also it's significant." Bopanna is 43 but is still pulling off title-winning performances on the Tour. In March he became the oldest player to win a Master Series tournament (ATP1000) at Indian Wells in USA.
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