Leander Paes-Rohan Bopanna stage biggest comeback in India’s Davis Cup history

This was one for believers, for diehards who resort to desperate prayers, for those who refuse to give up on super-heroes battered in battle. On Saturday, the crowd of 6,000-plus at Bangalore’s Cubbon Park, invoked Paes and turned into fanatics for Bopanna.

They were rewarded for their sheer patience with what Paes described as his finest comeback in Davis Cup. Bopanna and Anand Amritraj had asked for Paes to join in the tie, and the old warhorse played his part which for the major part included psyching World No. 4 Nenad Zimonjic out of the match where the 41-year-old laid bare his ageless reflexes and timeless guile.

Taking Bopanna along, Paes broke down opponents who came with a big reputation and steadier serves. Bopanna, who was playing his 20th Cup tie, had started the match with a booming ace and proceeded to lose the first set in less than 20 minutes, as the crowd started murmuring about an annihilating, possible 5-0 loss to the Serbians.

A second-set heading into tie-break looked more like a battle in vain than any real fightback. Because his shortcomings when he serves are so nakedly stark, it makes the other things that Paes does on a doubles court all the more embellished. Paes started with clinging onto his serve in the second, even as their combine went through the trial-and-error adjustments that new couplings go through, without chomping each other’s heads off. Paes let go of Bopanna’s clumsy net volley botches, and Bopanna refused to drop his shoulders even as the vulnerable Paes serve came under tremendous pressure.

On the other side of the court, while 38-year-old Zimonjic looked tight, the youngest player on the court, Illija Bozoljac, was playing a nerveless, error-free match. His returns flirted with stunning angles, he set up points for a sluggish Zimonjic and his serve boomed at 205 kph, threatening to match Bopanna’s, which though peaking at 209 kph, had been broken at 1-4 in the opening set.

Beginning of the end

The singles-turned-doubles player with an impressive array of unorthodox shots (double handed forehand and a controlled wristy volley) was an energiser bunny on court, perennially in ready-stance and playing steady even as Zimonjic seemed to be getting rattled by Paes. The more the Paes hands started snapping like rubber bands, the more angsty Zimonjc got. The Serbs led 2-0, but something was not quite right with the tie-break they’d just wrapped up.

Midway through the third, when Zimonjic called for medical treatment, the Indians gathered their wits in a 3-minute break and urged by Amritraj to slow things down, started the process of gelling into a combine. The Zimonjic serve was singled out to be attacked (he later said neck spasms greatly restricted him), even as Paes and Bopanna carved out their territories and began matching steps to cover the court with their protective shots.

Bopanna regained composure on his serve and as the two set out on their tango — Bopanna a neat replacement for Mahesh Bhupathi; big serve, chest-butts and all — Paes started attacking the net, roaring his way with outrageous volley returns.

The Indians twice broke Zimonjic and even Bozoljac was shaken into mistakes as the comeback crawl began. The Serbs were to lose six games in a row through the 3rd and 4th sets, as the momentum had swung wildly to the home team’s side.

Bopanna had come to the party, arrogating his booming serve while reinforcing his returns with precise placement, and even though Paes continued looking vulnerable, he had made Zimonjic look worse. Later he was to admit how he’d booked practice courts right next to Bozoljac’s at the US Open and done his homework observing him for four days.

By the fifth, India were looking intimidatingly formidable and it was only a matter of time that the Serbs came apart. Ironically, Bozoljac dropped serve first, though it was Zimonjic who finally couldn’t hold on and gave up with a resigned shake of his head.

“We ended up losing a match we thought was in our pocket. I really don’t know how we lost,” Bozoljac later said.

With their partnership a success, Leander-Bopanna target Rio 2016

Bangalore: Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna’s stunning comeback against the better ranked Serbians has raised hopes of the two hooking up for the Rio Olympics in two years’ time.

In only their second big match together, the two managed to weave magic in beating the form-pair that has a win against the Bryans to their name. “I’ve always believed Rohan and me make a great pair because of our games. We’ll only get better as we play more together and understand who goes for which shots. We are looking to play together at the Rio Olympics,” Paes confirmed even as Bopanna nodded along.

The younger partner who Paes wanted to play with even at London, agreed that though both were committed to play with their respective partners in 2015 and Rio was still a good two years away, he was keen on playing together at Rio.

“Yes, we will see how it goes, but we will make a good pair,” he agreed.

“Rio’s my ultimate goal. But today’s match was important because had we lost today the questions would’ve been different. Now we are talking Rio,” Paes said.