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NEW DELHI: As the clay court season reaches its big stage with Roland Garros, it once again reinforces the point in Indian tennis that the focus is on doubles and not singles. Leading the charge on that front is the newly crowned India No. 1 Yuki Bhambri, who was once the flag bearer in the singles department.The year, though, didn’t begin as Bhambri might have hoped. At the Australian Open, partnering Albano Olivetti, the duo bowed out in the first round.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!What has followed is a string of partner changes, not by design but by necessity, as Olivetti’s injury and the volatile nature of the rankings forced Bhambri to adapt.His journey resumed with Croatian veteran Ivan Dodig at the ATP 250 in Montpellier. Since then, the Indian ace has had to recalibrate often. 2025 has so far witnessed Bhambri partnering with seven different players in 13 tournaments.
Despite the instability, the results speak volumes. Bhambri (and Alexei Popyrin) clinched the ATP 500 title in Dubai, made it to the quarters at Indian Wells and Miami, and became India’s No. 1 in doubles, overtaking Rohan Bopanna, who had held that position since October 2019.Speaking to TimesofIndia.com before the Madrid Open, Bhambri acknowledged the highs and lows, “I think it’s part and parcel of our tennis, of rankings going up and down. I think tennis rewards you for consistency, and I’ve had good success over the last few months or so, which has just shown in the rankings.”
Yuki Bhambri of India and Alexei Popyrin of Australia celebrate with their trophies (Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty Images)
But now comes another test, the clay. On the red dirt, Bhambri hasn’t had the best results in the run-up to the French Open. Four of his last five clay appearances ended in first-round exits, with Robert Galloway being his regular companion in the latest tournaments.The 32-year-old, however, remains undeterred.“When you move on to clay, it’s a lot slower. So you have to have a lot more patience. You have to be prepared to hit a lot of balls. You have to be prepared to slide on the court, find your footing, you know, be prepared for the bad bounces at times. So you’re playing a very slow and patient game,” he added.The only exception to Bhambri’s clay troubles came in Bordeaux, partnering Galloway again. The pair fought in the ATP Challenger final but fell just short, losing 6-7(1), 6-7(2) to the fourth-seeded pairing of Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler.
His dethroning of Bopanna ended a 286-week reign, coupled with a steady upward trend in his doubles rankings since the COVID-19 pandemic, signalling a changing of guard.Still, Bhambri, who spends his days back in India mentoring kids at Roundglass Tennis Academy alongside his childhood coach Aditya Sachdeva, is far from satisfied.“I think the ultimate goal is to try and do better from here, to try and compete for more trophies. The French (Open) coming up, Wimbledon coming up soon in July, those would be the two key goals where I would really like to hopefully put my best foot forward and succeed,” ht noted. There’s respect too, for the man he succeeds: “Rohan has been an incredible ambassador for Indian tennis. Even now, he competes at the highest level. There’s a lot to learn from him.”With Roland Garros just around the corner, the elements of something remarkable are there, but the big question remains: Can Bhambri, amid all the changes and challenges, find the right formula on clay? Indian tennis won’t have to wait long for an answer.
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