Tennis players Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi recently announced their decision to part ways and partner with other players. This announcement came close on the heels of their defeat at the ATP World Tour. The duo had a good run this year, the pre-Olympic tennis row notwithstanding.

In fact, Rohan, who played with Mahesh with a special focus on preparing for the London Olympics, says, “Playing with Mahesh was a great learning experience for me and we had a good year on the tour. We won two events — at Dubai and Paris, were finalists at the ATP World Tour Finals, and were consistently ranked within the top 10 teams of the world.” Plus, he reached his career-highest doubles ranking, so it’s been a great year for him.

And, to add to all the cheer, Rohan will be tying the knot with fiancee Supriya Annaiah very soon. While he keeps mum on the exact wedding date (we hear it will be in the coming week), he admits that preparations for D-Day are on in full swing. Says he, “All the preparations are coming along well. It will be a traditional Kodava wedding in Coorg and my close family and friends from the tour will be part of all the celebrations.”

Rohan and Supriya got engaged earlier this year. His excitement at taking this big step is palpable. “I met Supriya through some common friends, and I have known her for a while now,” he says. Is she game to deal with all the pressures of his sport? “Supriya is very supportive of my choices, and very understanding of my demanding schedule. She keeps me grounded, and she knows exactly when I need my own space. She respects my priorities and lets me handle them the way I am used to,” he shares.

Post his wedding, Rohan will be back on court with his new partner American Rajeev Ram. “I am looking at building a strong and sustainable partnership on the tour and Rajeev is a great player,” he says.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Sports> Tennis> Interviews / by Nupur Chaudhuri, TNN / November 18th, 2012