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July always kicks off with a few familiar staples: the Indian monsoons, America's Independence Day, and the commencement of Wimbledon, the oldest Grand Slam on the calendar. This year's grass-court action started with a bang on Monday, July 1st, delivering several immediate shocks as heavyweights like Naomi Osaka, Alexander Zverev, Venus Williams, and Stefanos Tsitsipas were knocked out in the first round. These unexpected early exits could create a window of opportunity for the Indian players, who are hoping to stir up some surprises of their own while chasing glory on the world's biggest stage.st of July and sprang up a few surprises with top players like Naomi Osaka, Alexander Zverev, Venus Williams and Stefanos Tsitsipas suffering first round exits. The few shock results could bode well for the Indian contingent at Wimbledon 2019, who would expect to pull off a few surprises off their own in the quest for glory on the grand stage.
It hasn't been an entirely smooth road for India, as top talents like Ramkumar Ramanathan, Ankita Raina, and Saketh Myneni failed to make the cut during the pre-qualifying rounds. Additionally, the legendary Sania Mirza is currently away on maternity leave and won't be competing on the grass this year. Despite these setbacks, India's top-ranked singles player, Prajnesh Gunneswaran, stepped onto the court on Monday, while a strong doubles contingent including Leander Paes, Divij Sharan, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, Purav Raja, and Rohan Bopanna are set to compete.
Unfortunately, Gunneswaran's run ended abruptly on the first day after a straight-sets defeat (7-6, 6-4, 6-2) to Canada's Milos Raonic. Since he was the sole Indian representative in the singles draw, his exit means the nation will not be contending for a singles title this year. Consequently, Indian fans will now shift their focus and hopes toward the men's doubles, where three teams featuring Indian athletes are scheduled to play starting Wednesday.
In the doubles bracket, Divij Sharan has teamed up with Brazil's Marcelo Demoliner to take on the German pair of Kevin Kraweitz and Andreas Mies. While the Germans enter as favorites following their 2019 French Open victory, their track record at Wimbledon has been inconsistent. Sharan and Demoliner will be banking on a similar dip in their opponents' form to secure a victory and move forward in the tournament.
More optimism surrounds Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna, both of whom are expected to make a deep run with their respective partners. Paes, partnering with Frenchman Benoit Paire, faces Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin and Alexander Bublik on Wednesday, July 3rd. The opposing duo has never advanced beyond the third round here, whereas Paes is a former Wimbledon champion (1999) and a winner of every other Grand Slam. Paire also brings solid experience, having reached the Australian Open quarterfinals in 2013. Together, this new pairing could prove to be a dangerous force this year.rd of July. The opposition team have never made it past the third round in the doubles competition while Paes was a previous winner in 1999 and won every other Grand Slam as well. His partner Paire too has been good in that category, getting to the quarterfinals of the 2013 Australian Open. Now that they are paired together for the first time, Paes and Paire could be a formidable partnership at Wimbledon 2019.
Meanwhile, Rohan Bopanna is teaming up with Pablo Cuevas of Argentina to face the pair of Wesley Koolhof and Marcus Daniell. Their opponents are formidable, having reached the 2018 Australian Open quarterfinals and boasting four ATP titles each. Bopanna has been a mainstay of Indian tennis for over fifteen years, and though he has a storied career—including a US Open final in 2010 and two Wimbledon semifinals—he's searching for a breakthrough win at a Major. By reuniting with Cuevas, Bopanna hopes to recapture the synergy they displayed at the 2017 Monte Carlo Masters and push deep into the draw of the oldest Grand Slam.
Written by: Saurabh Shankar