When Roger-Vasselin and Gael Monfils congratulated each other in a warm embrace, Sriram Balaji and Rohan Bopanna wore a dejected look.
In straight sets, the Indian duo had succumbed to Vaseelin’s skill and Monfils’ artistry.
For Balaji, the Olympic dream came to a grinding and rather unfortunate halt.
‘An honour representing India’
Speaking to The Bridge ahead of his first-round fixture, Balaji had said that featuring in the Olympics was a ‘dream come true’.
“I never imagined as a child to ever play Olympics and now in recent years it’s been a dream and representing India is an honor.”
Born in Coimbatore, Balaji began playing tennis at an early age and made rapid strides.
As a teenager, he was ranked No.1 in the national U-14 category. Thereafter, he would go on to represent the country in the Junior Davis Cup Tournament in Malaysia in 2006.
However, the transition to seniors was a tough one for Balaji.
That said, he found solace whilst playing doubles, after which his career gained momentum.
Good net play
At the 2024 French Open, Balaji made the biggest gains of his career when he made the third round. And it was this surge that caught the attention of Rohan Bopanna.
“He is a big server, and he believes that my volleys are good enough,” Balaji had said when quizzed about the partnership with Bopanna for the Olympics.
Despite the disappointment of the first-round loss, all is not lost for the 34-year-old.
“I am ranked 62 and I am fast and agile on the court,” Balaji had said while attributing to the fact that he is now peaking and has plenty more to offer.
The goal now for Balaji will be to put the disappointment of the Olympic loss behind him and look ahead.
He will now move into the hard court season and look to make another deep run, this time at the year-ending US Open.
“Mentally I am trying to improve and get better,” he had said, maintaining an optimistic tone, regardless of the outcome of the Olympic games.