India Tennis squad at Asian Games 2023: Full team, Schedule, Medal chances

A star-studded tennis team led by experienced Rohan Bopanna will look to better India's performance at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

India, the best tennis side at the Asian Games in 2006, won a gold medal in men's doubles and two bronze medals in men's and women's singles in the 2018 Asian Games.

Sania Mirza remains India's most successful tennis player in the Asian Games. She has won eight medals - two gold, three silver, and three bronze - at the Asian Games across different disciplines.

Squad

Men’s team: Rohan Bopanna, Sumit Nagal, Yuki Bhambri, Saketh Myneni, Ramkumar Ramanathan

Women’s team: Rutuja Bhosle, Ankita Raina, Karman Kaur Thandi, Prarthana Thombare

Schedule

Tennis events at the Asian Games will get underway on September 24 and continue till September 30. The order of play will be available a day before the event starts.

How does India fare in Asian Games tennis events?

Men's Singles | Predicted Finish: Bronze

Asian no. 11 Sumit Nagal will be carrying Indian hope in a field expected to be dominated by Japan's Kei Nishikori, the number one Asian tennis player, and his Japanese teammate Yoshihito Nishioka.

Nagal, who won the Rome and Tampere Open ATP Challenger Tour, is expected to come out all guns blazing in the Asian Games. In the Davis Cup World Group II tie against Morocco recently, Nagal won two matches in straight sets to help India qualify for the playoff.

Given his form, skill temperament, and the depth of the field, Nagal, the fifth entry into the Asiad men's singles event, is likely to return home with at least a bronze medal.

With the 2018 Asian Games bronze medallist Prajnesh Gunneswaran, the Asian no. 12, missing the Hangzhou Games due to injuries, Nagal will hope to make the best of the chances.

Men's Doubles | Predicted Finish: Gold

India is not out of contention in men's doubles either.

Bopanna will be India's best hope for a gold medal in men's doubles. Veteran Bopanna has recently entered the top 10 in ATP doubles ranking and is currently ranked 7th. He has won two ATP titles this year.

Four years ago in Jakarta, partnering with Divij Sharan, Bopanna won the gold medal in men's doubles. With Sharan not in the squad this time, Bopanna will partner either Yuki Bhambri or Saketh Myneni, who won a mixed doubles gold medal with Sania Mirza at the 2014 Asian Games, to defend his title.

Women's Singles | Predicted Finish: Bronze medal

In women's singles, however, Ankita Raina, who has improved her singles ranking to 150, may have to toil hard to return home with a memorable campaign, with the field featuring top names such as Elena Rybakina, Wang Qiang, and Yulia Putintseva.

But due to the improvement she has made recently and the depth of the women's singles at the Asian Games, Ankita, the third entry into the Asiad women's singles event, is expected to return home with a bronze medal. Ankita won a bronze medal in the 2018 Asian Games as well.

Women's Doubles | Predicted Finish: Top 10

Karman Kaur Thandi and Prarthana Thombare will raise India's hope in women's doubles. But chances of a medal will depend on how the duo perform in the strong field in the Asian Games. The women's doubles duo is expected to return with a top-10 finish.

Mixed Doubles | Predicted Finish: Top 10

In mixed doubles, it will be interesting to see who Bopanna pairs up with. He could pair up with Prarthana Thombare, the 2014 Asian Games women's doubles bronze medallist. But because they have little playing experience, India's chances of winning a medal in mixed doubles are nearly nil. We can expect a top-10 finish from the Indian pair.

India at the Asian Games: Tennis record

1966 Asian Games

Shiv Prakash Misra-Vinay Dhawan (men's doubles bronze)

1978 Asian Games

Shyam Minotra-Chiradip Mukerjea (men's doubles bronze)

1982 Asian Games

Nandan Bal, Enrico Piperno, Jayant Rikhye and Srinivasan Vasudevan (men's team silver)

1990 Asian Games

Zeeshan Ali, Leander Paes, Rohit Rajpal and Srinivasan Vasudevan (men's team bronze)

1994 Asian Games

Leander Paes-Gaurav Natekar (men's doubles gold), Zeeshan Ali, Asif Ismail, Gaurav Natekar and Leander Paes (men's team gold), Leander Paes (men's singles bronze)

1998 Asian Games

Mahesh Bhupathi and Srinath Prahlad (men's singles bronze), Mahesh Bhupathi, Syed Fazaluddin, Nitin Kirtane and Srinath Prahlad (men's team bronze), Mahesh Bhupathi-Nirupama Vaidyanathan (mixed doubles bronze)

2002 Asian Games

Leander Paes-Mahesh Bhupathi (men's doubles gold), Vishal Uppal-Mustafa Ghouse (men's doubles bronze), Mahesh Bhupathi-Manisha Malhotra (mixed doubles silver), Leander Paes-Sania Mirza (mixed doubles bronze)

2006 Asian Games

Leander Paes-Mahesh Bhupathi (men's doubles gold), Leander Paes-Sania Mirza (mixed doubles gold), Sania Mirza (women's singles silver), Ankita Bhambri, Isha Lakhani, Sania Mirza and Shikha Uberoi (women's team bronze)

2010 Asian Games

Somdev Devvarman-Sanam Singh (men's doubles gold), Somdev Devvarman, Karan Rastogi, Sanam Singh and Vishnu Vardhan (men's team bronze), Sania Mirza (women's singles bronze), Vishnu Vardhan-Sania Mirza (mixed doubles silver)

2014 Asian Games

Saketh Myneni-Sania Mirza (mixed doubles gold), Yuki Bhambri (men's singles bronze), Saketh Myneni-Sanam Singh (men's doubles silver), Yuki Bhambri-Divij Sharan (men's doubles bronze), Sania Mirza-and Prarthana Thombare (women's doubles bronze),

2018 Asian Games

Prajnesh Gunneswaran (men's singles bronze), Rohan Bopanna-Divij Sharan (men's doubles gold), Ankita Raina (women's singles bronze)