Indian Tennis Stars Face Challenges Ahead of Paris Olympics

Veteran tennis players Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji, representing India in the Paris Olympics, faced a tough loss in their opening round at the Hamburg Open. Meanwhile, Sumit Nagal, India's top singles player, lost in the pre-quarter-finals at the Nordea Open in Bastad.

Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji, who are set to represent India at the Paris Olympics, suffered a challenging defeat in their first match at the Hamburg Open on Thursday. Despite being seasoned players, this marks the first time they have teamed up on the ATP Tour.

The sixth-seeded duo fell 1-6, 4-6 to the unseeded German team of Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner in the ATP 500 tournament. Known for their strong serving skills, Bopanna and Balaji struggled to win points on their first serves and failed to convert any of their three break points.

The pair has one more event to play before the Olympics—the Croatia Open in Umag, an ATP 250 event. On another front, Sumit Nagal, India's top singles player, lost his pre-quarter-final match at the Nordea Open in Bastad to Mariano Navone. After climbing to a career-best rank of 68, Nagal's defeat prevents what could have been a significant quarter-final match against Rafael Nadal.

(With inputs from agencies.)