Rohan Bopanna to end Davis Cup career in September, wants to play farewell game in Bengaluru
New Delhi, Jun 21: India's top doubles player Rohan Bopanna on Wednesday revealed that he will bring curtains down on his Davis Cup career when the country hosts Morocco in September but the Karnataka player won't be able to play his farewell match in his home state, as desired by him, since AITA has already awarded the match to Uttar Pradesh.
India are scheduled to play Morocco in a World Group II tie in September.
The 43-year-old Bopanna, who made his Davis Cup debut in 2002 and is still playing solid tennis on the ATP Tour, has played 32 ties for India.
"I am planning to play my last Davis Cup match in September," Bopanna told PTI from London.
"I have been in the team since 2002. I want it to be held at home and I spoke to all the boys (Indian players) they are all happy to play in Bengaluru. KSLTA is also happy to have it there. Now it's up to our federation to see if they want to do it in Bangalore.
"Since I have been playing for 20 years, I just have to speak to captain and figure out if they want to do it there. It will be good for everyone to come and watch one last time. Playing at 43 is a bonus," Bopanna, who is only one on the four Indians to have won a Grand Slam title, added.
It is only apt that a player, who has contributed to Indian tennis' success in the prestigious tournament over the years, gets to play his last match at the venue of his choice.
However, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) confirmed to PTI that it won't be able to give the tie to Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA).
"To be fair, it would have been good for Rohan to play his last India-match in Bengaluru but we have already committed to UP. The tie will be played in Lucknow, it has already been decided," AITA Secretary General Anil Dhupar said.
Leander Paes has played the most number of ties for India with 58 appearances, followed by Jaideep Mukherjee (43), Ramanathan Krishnan (43), Premjit Lal (41) Anand Amirtraj (39), Mahesh Bhupathi (35), Vijay Amritraj (32).
So, Bopanna will overtake the legendary Vijay Amritraj in terms of number of Davis Cup appearances when he plays against Morocco.
In his 32 ties, Bopanna won 12 singles matches and 10 doubles rubbers.
Asked if he will continue to play on the ATP Tour, Bopanna replied in an affirmative.
"If I don't play on Tour, another Indian won't get that spot. Like if I don't play Wimbledon it's not like that spot will go to an Indian. But in Davis Cup, my spot will go to an Indian. It's been so many years, so there is a bunch of players coming up."
Asked when did he decide to quit Davis Cup, Bopanna said,"I always had it in my mind that I have to stop at some point of time. And since this is a home tie, I thought it's a good time to go. For country also it's significant."
Bopanna is 43 but is still pulling off title-winning performances on the Tour. In March he became the oldest player to win a Master Series tournament (ATP1000) at Indian Wells in USA.
Bopanna had broken the record of Canadian Daniel Nestor, who had won the Cincinnati Masters title when he was 42 in 2015.
"It's been a fantastic year for me, breaking back in the top 10, being able to still represent the country, playing at the biggest stage," Bopanna, ranked 11 in the world, said.
The Indian Davis Cup team was relegated to the World Group II for the first time since the new format was launched in 2019 after losing the playoff tie 2-3 to Denmark in February this year.
In the last six ties, India suffered defeats in four.
The team won against lower-ranked Pakistan in Kazakhstan and against Denmark in New Delhi on grass courts.
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Modi govt by changing name of MGNREGA exposed its 'hatred' towards Gandhi: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attempting to change the name and structure of the MGNREGA, has itself exposed its "hatred" towards the poor and towards Mahatma Gandhi.
He also accused the Centre of "altering" the very structure of the scheme, by shifting nearly 40 per cent of the cost onto the state governments, and called Modi "anti federal".
Suggesting that the NDA government at the Centre start a "Ministry of Name Change", with the Prime Minister himself holding that portfolio, the CM warned of a statewide agitation against this name change move.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, that seeks to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid strong objections by the opposition to the "removal" of Mahatma Gandhi's name from it.
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"The Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is attempting to change the name and structure of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), has itself exposed its hatred towards the poor and towards Mahatma Gandhi," Siddaramaiah said in a statement.
Implemented by the UPA government 20 years ago, the MGNREGA scheme has played a crucial role in eradicating unemployment and poverty in rural areas, he said, adding that "this scheme, which guarantees the right to employment to every individual, has received praise from economists both in India and abroad."
Noting that MGNREGA was a genuine form of employment guarantee, the CM said the proposed new structure under the Modi government strips away that guarantee and places the assurance of work at the whims of political leaders.
"This will further deepen caste discrimination and social inequality," he claimed.
Highlighting that the NDA government has altered the very structure of MGNREGA, a scheme whose entire expenditure was earlier borne by the Central government, by shifting nearly 40 per cent of the cost onto the state governments, Siddaramaiah said this stands as clear evidence of the "anti-federal attitude" that Prime Minister Modi has followed ever since coming to power.
"This move will also increase the migration of poor people in search of work as the proposed form does not guarantee employment in their own location -- forcing families to travel long distances to survive," he said.
Naming this scheme after Mahatma Gandhi, who sowed the dream of Gram Swaraj, was a meaningful decision, the CM said, "While Prime Minister Narendra Modi indulges in praising Gandhi during his foreign tours, within the country he has consistently engaged in attempts to erase Gandhi's legacy from key national programmes. From a parivar that seeks to glorify Gandhi's assassin Godse, what different conduct can one really expect?"
"Narendra Modi is widely known for simply changing the names of landmark schemes launched by the UPA government rather than preserving or strengthening them. It would be more appropriate for this government to start a 'Ministry of Name Change,' with the Prime Minister himself holding that portfolio," he said.
More than 25 flagship programmes launched during earlier governments were merely renamed or repackaged by the present regime, the CM further said, listing out that the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan was rechristened as the Swachh Bharat Mission, while the Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account scheme was rebranded as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, among others.
"These changes reflect a consistent pattern of altering names rather than fundamentally strengthening or expanding the original intent of these welfare initiatives," he added.
Stating that the Congress party and state government strongly condemn this "anti-people" decision of the Narendra Modi government, which has snatched food from the plates of the poor, insulted Bapu, and attempted to strangle state governments financially, Siddaramaiah warned about launching a statewide agitation against this move.
"The responsibility of preserving the MGNREGA scheme in its original form must also be taken up by the lakhs of beneficiaries of the scheme. They must hold the BJP leaders of the state accountable and exert pressure on them to raise their voices against this injustice, rising above party lines," he said.
