It may be poutine, free healthcare or our legendary politeness, but Rohan Bopanna of Indian seems to really, really like Canada.
The former No.1 in doubles teamed up with Canadian tennis legend and young retiree Daniel Nestor for many years before pairing with our doubles queen Gabriela Dabrowski.
Last March, he joined forces with Denis Shapovalov, and the two will play together for the rest of the season.
Bopanna, who is currently ranked World No.46 in doubles, and the 20-year-old sensation (No. 139) got as far as the final in Stuttgart in June, ousting powerhouses Mike and Bob Bryan in the first round.
“I’ve known him for a few years and it just so happened that I decided to ask him to play Indian Wells this year for the very first time,” explains Bopanna. “Our very first match, we played extremely well and I think from that moment on we started practising a bit. He was warming up for his singles matches. So, that way you build a little camaraderie. In the past few years of playing on the court, I think a good camaraderie always makes a good team, and I think it has been helping in our matches. I don’t think I’ve ever played with someone 18 or 19 years younger than me.”
With Nestor, who is seven years his senior, things were a little different. From 2014 to 2016, they won the titles in Dubai and Sydney in 2015. Bopanna and Gabriela Dabrowski raised the mixed doubles trophy at Roland-Garros in 2017.
This week in Montréal, he and Shapovalov skipped the quarterfinals and went straight to the semis when Stanislas Wawrinka and Benoît Paire withdrew due to injury (Wawrinka). On Saturday night, Bopanna and Shapovalov will take on Robin Haase and Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands on Centre Court for a spot in the final.
