After spending 10 straight months in the top-100 in the ATP singles rankings, India’s Sumit Nagal on Monday dropped out of the much-desired bracket following a string of poor show while veteran Rohan Bopanna lost his place in top-20 due to an early exit from the Australian Open, where he was defending a lot of points. Nagal maintained his top-100 rank since March 2024 after first breaking into top-100 in February same year on the back of a good show at the first Major of the season.

However, he has lost 16 places to be at number 106 with 565 points in the latest chart.

The feisty tennis player has struggled on the demanding Tour, of late. Since Wimbledon 2024 in July, Nagal has competed in 18 tournaments managing to win only three main draw matches on the Tour and Challenger circuit.

A top-100 place helps in getting direct entries at the big events, including Grand Slams, where even defeat at early stage of the tournament also ensures a decent prize money.

Following Nagal was Sasikumar Mukund at number 365 ( 2), Ramkumar Ramanathan (406, -1), Karan Singh (496, -20) and Aryan Shah (593, -9).

In doubles, Bopanna, who is still playing solid tennis at the age of 44, lost five places to be at number 21. Being the Australian Open defending champion, Bopanna had to defend a lot of points in Melbourne, where he lost in the opening round with new partner Nicolas Barrientos.

Bopanna has featured in top-20 consistently since October 3, 2022.

Yuki Bhambri was unchanged at number 47 and following him was N Sriram Balaji (64, 1), Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli (79, -7) and Arjun Kadhe (83, 1).

Mukund, Ramkumar, Balaji Karan Singh and Bollipalli are part of the Indian Davis Cup squad that will take on Togo in the World Group I Play-off tie on February 1-2.

Nagal and Bhambri did not make themselves available for the match.

File image of N Sriram Balaji.© X (Twitter)

Indian ace Rohan Bopanna and his Chinese partner Shuai Zhang advanced to the second round of the Australian Open mixed doubles with a commanding 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ivan Dodig and Kristina Mladenovic in Melbourne on Friday. Aiming to recover from an early exit in the men’s doubles, the former world No. 1 Indian showed his mettle alongside Zhang, delivering a clinical performance to close our the match in one hour and 12 minutes. Bopanna and Zhang will face the winners of the match between fourth seeded pair of American Taylor Townsend and Hugo Nys of Monegasque and wild card Australian duo of Maddison Inglis and Jason Kuber in the pre-quarterfinals.

The Indo-Chinese pair started strong, racing to a 3-0 lead in the opening set. Though Croatian Dodig and Frenchwoman Mladenovic broke Zhang’s serve to narrow the gap to 3-2, Bopanna held firm under pressure, serving out the set at 6-4.

The second set began with both pairs exchanging breaks in a tight contest.

At 3-4 down, the Indo-Chinese duo capitalised on Dodig and Mladenovic’s errors, including two costly double faults, to break serve and level the score. They held their nerve to win the next two games, with Zhang and Bopanna complementing each other with steady serve and sharp forehand display.

While Dodig and Mladenovic created 17 break points throughout the match, their failure to convert key opportunities proved costly for them.

Bopanna and Zhang, on the other hand, were clinical, converting five of their nine break points.

The Indo-Chinese duo also outperformed their opponents in serve with four aces, compared to Dodig/Mladenovic’s two. They won 31 of 48 service points, showcasing consistency, while on returns, they were efficient, winning 10 of 34 return points compared to their opponents’ 17 of 48.

Bopanna and Zhang were sharp at the net with four volley winners and managed four passing shots.

Their groundstroke precision was evident, contributing three forehand winners, while Dodig/Mladenovic did not register any.

Bopanna had made the final in 2023 with Sania Mirza and he would look to make up for the loss this time.

Bopanna became world No. 1 in doubles after winning his first major doubles title at the 2024 Australian Open with Matthew Ebden, becoming the oldest player in the world to achieve the feat at the age of 43.

File image of Albano Olivetti and Yuki Bhambri.© AITA

File image of Rohan Bopanna© AFP

A change of guard is underway in the world of tennis, as the era of legendary players slowly gives way to a new wave of talented youngsters. The sport is on the cusp of an exciting transformation, with the next generation of stars ready to take centre stage and forge their own paths to greatness. For India, the year started on a sweet note, with veteran Rohan Bopanna reaching the summit where he stood apart from the rest of his competitors.

In January, Bopanna became the oldest player to win a Grand Slam title after tasting success with his partner Matthew Ebden at the Rod Laver Arena by lifting their maiden Australian Open men’s doubles title as a team.

The Indian-Australian duo managed to oust the Italian pair of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori with a straight-set win to etch their names in history in golden letters.

His success became a sight to behold, especially after he climbed to a career-best world No. 1 in the latest ATP Double Rankings following his special win.

The partnership saw its ups and downs and drew its final breath in November. Bopanna and Ebden announced the end of their successful two-year partnership.

The duo, who began playing together in January 2023, claimed significant titles, including the Australian Open Grand Slam title and ATP Masters 1000 trophies at Indian Wells (2023) and Miami Open (2024).

As fans bid adieu to the renowned pair, the world was not ready to embrace what was next to follow. Spain’s prized tennis star Rafael Nadal decided to have his last dance and bring the curtain down on his 23-year-old career as a professional tennis player.

With the final shot hit and the last racket laid to rest, the tennis world pauses to bid farewell to a legend, Rafael Nadal, who rewrote tennis history with his tenacious spirit, relentless dedication, and unmatched greatness, has played his final match.

One of the greatest to grace the sport, the “Spain’s Raging Bull” left an everlasting impression on his admirers and his rivals.

The King of Clay had his swansong in November during the Davis Cup and bowed out with 22 Grand Slam titles, including a record 14 French Open singles titles.

He also won the Australian Open twice in 2009 and 2022, Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010. He was also successful in the US Open, winning the title four times in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019. In Roland-Garros, the Spaniard defended his crown 10 times and recorded a staggering 97 per cent win percentage.

His fierce competitiveness, sportsmanship, and humility have made him a beloved figure, transcending the sport itself.

Even after his retirement as a champion, role model, and ambassador, Nadal’s legacy will continue to inspire and influence the world of tennis for years to come.

Before Nadal’s retirement, the two-time Olympic gold medal winner Andy Murray also called his time. In his decorated career, Murray lifted 46 singles titles.

Murray won his first Olympic gold medal in 2012 after defeating Roger Federer in the final. Four years later, he bagged his second at Rio by beating Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro. The Briton tennis star’s three Grand Slam titles include two at Wimbledon (in 2013 and 2016), and one at the US Open (in 2012).

In a year where memorable careers met their end, some icons lived their dreams. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic turned his ultimate dream into reality by winning his first Olympic gold, completing prestigious ‘Golden Slam’, by overcoming Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s singles final in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

In a clash between the experienced tennis icon and the young Alcaraz, who brims with talent, Djokovic realised his ultimate dream by getting his hands on the first Olympic gold medal of his illustrious career.

While Alcaraz savoured defeat, he found some solace in defending his Wimbledon title before landing in Paris. Alcaraz won his second consecutive Wimbledon title after beating Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) at the centre court in London in July. The Spaniard became only the sixth man to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back.

Along with Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner was another budding talent who made a case for being the next big thing in tennis. He kicked off the year perfectly after winning the Australian Open against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling five-set encounter. The Italian player defeated the final match by 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, and 6-3.

He topped his success in Australia by defeating Taylor Fritz of the United States in the final with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-4, and 7-5 to lift his first US Open title.

Towards the end of the year, Sinner made history in the ATP Finals by becoming the first Italian champion in the tournament’s 55-year history following his comprehensive victory over Taylor Fritz.

Sumit Nagal in action© AFP

File image of Matthew Ebden and Rohan Bopanna.© AFP

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden’s partnership began in January 2023.© AFP

Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden’s hopes of making the semifinals at the ATP Finals 2024 are all but over following their second straight defeat on Wednesday. The sixth-seeded Indo-Aussie duo went down 5-7, 3-6 to the top-seeded pair of Marcelo Arevalo from El Salvador and Mate Pavic of Croatia in a 68-minute contest, placing them at the bottom of the standings in the Bob Bryan group.

This tournament marks the last for Bopanna and Ebden as a team, concluding their two-year partnership.

Earlier, they suffered a loss against the home favorites Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in their opening match.

Bopanna and Ebden will next face Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz in their final group-stage match, but their chances of advancing to the semifinals are slim.

The duo climbed to the No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings after clinching the Australian Open title earlier this year.

Despite a mid-season slump, they earned their spot in the ATP Finals reaching the semifinals at Roland Garros.

Notably, Bopanna made history in January becoming the oldest player to reach World No. 1 at the age of 43. He has twice won at the prestigious season-ending event.

Alcaraz wins

Carlos Alcaraz opened his account at the ATP Finals on Wednesday with an entertaining 6-3, 7-6 (10/8) win over Andrey Rublev which boosted his hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

World number three Alcaraz comfortably defeated Rublev to lift himself off the bottom of the John Newcombe Group and looked in much better form despite struggling with fatigue and illness in the lead-up to the match.

There had been some doubt as to whether Alcaraz, who lost his opening match in straight sets to Casper Ruud, would continue in Turin after quickly ending his training session on Tuesday, with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero saying that he had trouble breathing.

“I could be better, I’m not going to lie,” said Alcaraz on court after beating Rublev. 

“I’ve been struggling with my health the last week and today I thought I was going to feel better. I was OK to play, but thinking about the first match I was thinking a lot about that I was sick, that I couldn’t play.

“Today I really wanted to step on the court and just think about tennis, try to play a high level… When I played the first match I felt like I did not entertain the people, I did not play good tennis.”

With AFP inputs