Bopanna looks to end Grand Slam drought with Cuevas

Rohan Bopanna has struggled to achieve success at the Grand Slams after his maiden appearance at the US Open final in 2013 and the seasoned Indian is hoping to end the drought at the Majors having teamed up with singles world number 22 Pablo Cuevas for the 2017 season.

Bopanna, who has paired up with Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan for the season-opener Chennai Open, said winning a Grand Slam was his dream and the new partnership gives him hope.

He made the US Open final with Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi of Pakistan in 2010 and after that he has three semifinal appearances -- Wimbledon (2013, 2015) and US Open (2011) at the Grand Slams.
 

Cuevas won 2008 French Open with Luis Horna and has five ATP singles titles to his credit in eight finals. Two of those were back-to-back in Brazil when he triumphed at the Rio Open and the Brasil Open.

"It's a dream to win a Grand Slam, hopefully it (new partnership) will make a difference. I have always liked the way he plays the game. I have played numerous times against him. He is a solid player who serves and stays at the back, just like Florin. He has won one Grand Slam before. He has experience of playing at high level, so it's a good chance for me to do well," Bopanna, who has won 14 doubles titles in 37 finals, said.

After winning his last title, Mercdes Cup in Germany in June 2015, the 36-year-old Bopanna had reasonable success in the first half of 2016 with Florin Mergea as they made finals in Sydney and Madrid but struggled after that with the Romanian not playing with him.

"After Wimbledon, he was playing with Horea Tecau (to prepare for Rio Games) and I was consistently looking for a partner for different tournaments. It's not easy to play with different partners and that was the main reason (for bad results)," Bopanna said.

The Coorgy, who was recently dropped from the Indian Davis Cup team, said having Mahesh Bhupathi in the captain's chair will be an advantage for the players.

"It's fantastic that a player like Mahesh has got opportunity. His experience will help. The players are comfortable with him and he is comfortable with the players. It's going to be a huge bonus for payers to play under him. He knows what their strengths and weaknesses are," he said.