Rohan Bopanna ends Davis Cup career with a win as India beat Morocco 4-1

And Bopanna lived that final moment fully. On Day 1, India had already been put in a tricky situation after Sasikumar Mukund lost the opening match, on his competition debut, as they ended the day tied 1-1. But in his final Davis Cup match on Sunday, Bopanna, alongside Yuki Bhambri, routinely dismantled the Moroccan pair of Elliot Benchetrit and Younes Lalami Laaroussi 6-2, 6-1 in just over an hour to give India a lead they never let slip thereafter, as Sumit Nagal and second debutant Digvijay Pratap Singh rounded out the 4-1 win that took them back to the World Group 1 playoffs.

Rohan Bopanna🇮🇳 – Wrapping up a remarkable Davis Cup Journey 🎾#DavisCup #INDvMAR #DavisCup2023 pic.twitter.com/2wgbM4lFI6

— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) September 17, 2023

Bopanna and Yuki did not seem totally in sync, and in truth, didn’t need to be at their best. The gulf in class was apparent from the get-go as Yuki’s returning ability, especially on the backhand side, and Bopanna’s big-serve-and-forehand combination, were enough to overpower the significantly lower-ranked opposition.

The result felt academic; the occasion was not about victory or defeat, but about witnessing a landmark moment in Bopanna’s career, one of the more understated modern Indian tennis veterans whose longevity and consistency has maintained the country’s representation at the top level of the sport even during one of the most barren runs in its history.

India’s Rohan Bopanna after wining his final Davis Cup match during the World Group II tie in Lucknow on Sunday, September 17, 2023. (Credit: AITA)

Not one to be jingoistic or overly sentimental, an unusually emotional Bopanna, draped in an Indian flag, would mark the moment with a touching move, bringing his India jersey and laying it to rest in the centre of the court to raucous applause from a Lucknow crowd that showed up for the doubles veteran, despite an ordinary turnout on Saturday.

His family and friends, unmissable in the t-shirts emblazoned with Bopanna holding the Tricolour, showed up in big numbers and cheered on an occasion that seemed to get the better of the usually cool Bopanna.

An ever-so-slightly emotional Rohan Bopanna says goodbye to the Davis Cup after 20 long years. Wasn’t made to work hard to beat Moroccan pair 6-2, 6-1 alongside Yuki Bhambri.

Occasion was not about the result though… @IndianExpress @IExpressSports pic.twitter.com/t0BpIXwKAQ

— Namit Kumar (@namitkumar_17) September 17, 2023

“It is sad to be leaving the Davis Cup team but simultaneously proud to have played,” he said in the press conference on Sunday. “It was definitely emotional, when I saw my family and had all the good people around. I will be supporting them but for now the two weeks off [during Davis Cup] will be spent with the family.”

Easy outing

The first and last point of the match put all of Bopanna’s doubles mastery – after all, the 43-year-old did fly into Lucknow after narrowly losing the US Open men’s doubles final – on display.

He opened the match with a huge serve and followed it up with an excellent forehand crosscourt, before saving a break point in the first game itself. An hour of base-level tennis and a spate of errors from Laaroussi and Benchetrit passed and Yuki and Bopanna would seal the win thanks to a sublime, deft volley at the net from the latter, before the celebration of his time with the Indian team began, a time he has not yet had a moment to reflect on.

“So many things were happening,” he said. “These are the days when the selfie comes out first. Even in 2017, after the French Open mixed doubles (his only Grand Slam title to date), I remembered all the moments only on the flight. The thoughts come through only when you get a moment to think. And I am sure the time will come when I will think about it.”

India’s non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal elaborated on what the Davis Cup team will miss. “Everybody looks up to him, not just in doubles. His experience in bigger matches and bigger occasions (is helpful in passing on to the team),” he told the press conference.

🇮🇳2- 1🇲🇦

Davis Cup 🎾 #IND‘s🇮🇳 Rohan Bopanna & Yuki Bhambri beat Elliot Benchetrit/Younes Lalami Laaroussi by 6-2, 6-1#DavisCup #INDvMAR #DavisCup2023 pic.twitter.com/VlGqtJaeIk

— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) September 17, 2023

Even though India’s doubles pairing was not at its best on Sunday, and a decision is yet to be made on Bopanna’s partner at the upcoming Asian Games, the veteran gave an insight into how Yuki’s game complemented his.

“When he makes those returns, I can put my big frame forward. When that happened today, they were trying to hit bigger and missed. That made the difference,” he said.

India’s Rohan Bopanna celebrates after winning his final Davis Cup match during the Davis Cup World Group II tie in Lucknow on Sunday, September 17, 2023. (Credit: AITA)

In the next match of the day, for the second successive day, Sumit Nagal, the only player from either team to be ranked in the top 300 in singles, made his superiority apparent by storming through Yassine Dlimi 6-3, 6-3 to seal the tie for India.

Dlimi’s powerful but error-ridden game, built around his big forehand, was no match for Nagal’s physicality and defensive abilities. The Moroccan did make a few games tricky, but Nagal was able to step up in the big moments to take control, and was strategically on the mark, targeting his opponent’s second serve and only letting him win half the points with that shot.

Later, both teams decided to play the final dead rubber, as Singh won on debut against Morocco’s Walid Ahouda in a super tiebreaker 6-1, 5-6, [10-6].