Rohan Bopanna, Sriram Balaji set to play ATP events on clay to prepare for Paris 2024 Olympics

Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji are scheduled to play together in the ATP Tour events in Hamburg and Umag on clay in the run-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics in Roland Garros.

The two have also been sanctioned suitable support along with their coach M Balachandran and physio Rebecca Van Orshagen for the two ATP events, by the Mission Olympic Cell of the Union Sports Ministry.

Hamburg, Germany, will be an ATP 500 event to be played from July 15, after Wimbledon. The Umag event in Croatia will be an ATP 250 event, scheduled from July 21.

The Olympics Games tennis event is scheduled from July 27 to August 4, with a singles draw of 64 and the doubles draw of 32.

With no woman player qualifying in tennis, India will not have a mixed team entry in tennis.

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Sania Mirza had kept the Indian presence felt in the four Olympics in Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo. She had partnered Sunita Rao, Rushmi Chakravarthi, Prarthana Thombare and Ankita Raina in that order in those four Olympics, apart from playing mixed doubles with Leander Paes in London and with Rohan Bopanna in Rio.

Bopanna is ranked No.4 in the world, while Balaji is ranked No.64. In the normal run, they may not get to play together.

Balaji capitalised on his French Open doubles entry recently to play the third round against Bopanna and Aussie Matthew Ebden.

With his big serve and a solid backhand, the 34-year-old Balaji competed hard on clay in partnership with Miguel-Angel Reyes-Varela of Mexico, before losing 8-10 in the third set tie-break.

Balaji has won 56 doubles titles in the professional circuit, and more than a dozen Challenger titles, and is yet to win a title in the Tour events.’