Bengaluru, March 24 Veteran star Rohan Bopanna was delighted to see the emergence of Dhakshineswar Suresh and Vaishnavi Adkar, but emphasized the need to develop the tennis landscape in India in a more structured manner.
Both Dhakshineswar and Vaishnavi have been impressive in recent tournaments, with the latter becoming the first Indian woman after Sania Mirza to reach the final of a W100 event.
"I'm really happy for them. I think once he's finished college, he should come and see the challenges in the challenger circuit. That's where the real journey begins. And yes, of course, he has a massive game," Bopanna told
"Having a serve like that, especially in men's tennis, makes a huge difference. I think he has great potential. Just having the right team around him, I think, could change so many wonderful aspects of his game and get him on the right path," he added.
Bopanna also praised Vaishnavi for her rapid progress in the circuit.
"Vaishnavi has already shown tremendous progress. I really want to see if we can build a structure around them. We don't have a structure, whether it's for singles, doubles, or anything.
"Whoever has come up in this country has done so on their own path, and we haven't really built a structure there. And that's what will make a difference – to create a journey for young players so that they have a roadmap to get there and play at the highest level," he noted.
The two-time Grand Slam doubles champion said he would like to mentor these upcoming players at his academy – the RBTA.
"I think the biggest thing is to partner with the right people. I think that's the key, not only to help athletes, but to really build an ecosystem. And that's where I feel I can bring in all my experience of being on the tour for such a long period of time.
"I have access to all the top coaches across the world, which gives me a great advantage in guiding these players and helping them on that journey," he said.
Exciting to see squash in LA Games
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Veteran squash player Joshna Chinnappa, however, is nurturing a different dream at 39 – the Los Angeles Olympics 2028, where the sport will make its debut.
"It's very exciting that squash is finally in the Olympics. It should have been there a long time ago. But having said that, it has just raised the profile of the sport so much. There's also a lot more support coming in for all the squash players.
"And yes, I definitely think we have a winning prospect. As far as me wanting to go for the 2028, let's see. I'm taking one month at a time based on my body and my health," she said.
Chinnappa was also delighted to see the talent emerging in Indian squash.
"It has grown leaps and bounds. Before it was just Saurav, Dipika, and me for many years. And now you have obviously Annie (Anahat), Abhay, Veer, Ramit, and me, and Tanvi. So it's almost like eight of us who are really solid on the ground. That's just a testament to how much effort has been put in from the federation, from the governments, the state government, and also our own efforts to make a mark on the world map. And that's what we're seeing right now," she said.