Chandigarh:,Forget the past and communicate as much as possible — that’s how Rohan Bopanna plans to make his partnership with Leander Paes click in next month’s Olympics as he feels there is no point in holding on to the bitterness which has marred Indian tennis.
Bopanna, who wanted to play with Saketh Myneni but was teamed with Paes by AITA for Rio, says it’s better to forget a few episodes. And he credits the tough and lonely life on the ATP tour for helping him overcome such setbacks.
Bopanna and Paes are here for the Davis Cup tie against Korea. They will play on Saturday against Hong Chung and Yunseong Chung. “You can’t keep dwelling on the past. If you keep dwelling on past, you never get positives. You have to look at what is the scenario today and look ahead tomorrow. Today’s thing is that me and Leander are going to Rio. We are getting practice and before Rio also we will have four-five days. I am going straight to Rio after Toronto, Leander will also be there. Those few days we will try to get practice as much as we can. And get prepared,” Bopanna told PTI in an interaction. Asked how big a challenge it is to forget the past and gel with a player with whom he hasn’t shared a great relationship off the court, Bopanna said he is professional enough to deal with the situation. “On the circuit we change partners very often. So we are used to that. In 2013, I played with Roger Vasselin and made semis in Wimbledon. It’s a matter of getting good practice and it could work out. We just have to get right practice and some good communication going on. Understand each other. It will definitely benefit us. “The only thing we can do is practice a lot and get used to conditions. Five days is a lot. I am a person who can move on. Certain things happen but you keep moving on. The wins and loses also help that. Sometimes you lose a close match but next week it’s a fresh tournament. Everyday is a new day. We have to overcome these challenges. “We have to find a way, communicate well. Like talking on the court, discussing what we have to do, how we have to plan strategy. How we have to combine as a team and gel together,” he said. — PTI
