India’s Doubles Legacy Shines Again as Bhambri, Balaji Progress at French Open

India’s long-standing dominance in doubles tennis once again came into focus at the 2026 French Open , where Yuki Bhambri and N Sriram Balaji advanced to the second round of the men’s doubles event with impressive victories at Roland Garros . Their strong start in Paris has reignited discussion around a familiar trend in Indian tennis: continued excellence in doubles and the persistent lack of success in singles at the highest level.

Bhambri, partnering New Zealand’s Michael Venus , defeated Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo and Mariano Kestelboim 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 22 minutes. After surviving a tense opening set, the Indo-New Zealand pair dominated the second set with aggressive returning and sharp net play.

Meanwhile, Balaji and Brazil’s Marcelo Demoliner battled past Robin Haase and Constantin Frantzen 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in a hard-fought contest lasting one hour and 45 minutes. The pair regained control in the deciding set after briefly losing momentum in the second.

The victories continued India’s rich legacy in doubles tennis, a tradition built by legends such as Leander Paes , Mahesh Bhupathi , and Rohan Bopanna . Paes and Bhupathi transformed Indian tennis in the late 1990s, reaching all four Grand Slam finals in 1999 and becoming World No. 1 players. Bopanna later extended that legacy by becoming the oldest ATP World No. 1 in men’s doubles and winning the 2024 Australian Open title before retiring in 2025.

Bhambri has now emerged as the leading face of Indian doubles tennis following Bopanna’s retirement. The former junior World No. 1 once carried India’s hopes in singles after winning the 2009 Australian Open junior title and reaching a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 83. However, repeated knee injuries forced him to reinvent himself as a doubles specialist. The move revived his career, helping him break into the ATP Top 20 doubles rankings earlier this year.

Balaji has also steadily established himself on the doubles circuit. The Indian Davis Cup player achieved a career-high doubles ranking of World No. 60 in 2025 and has enjoyed consistent success on the Challenger tour.

India’s strength in doubles, however, continues to contrast sharply with its struggles in singles tennis. While the country has multiple players ranked inside the world’s top 150 in doubles, its singles presence at Grand Slams remains minimal. Sumit Nagal , currently India’s top-ranked singles player, is outside the ATP Top 250.

Experts believe India’s singles struggles stem from structural issues including limited grassroots infrastructure, lack of elite coaching systems, insufficient funding, and inadequate exposure to international competition. Modern singles tennis increasingly demands physical power, endurance, and world-class developmental systems from a young age, areas where Indian players have often lagged behind their global counterparts.

Despite the challenges, India’s doubles success continues to keep the nation relevant on the global tennis stage. As Bhambri and Balaji progress in Paris, Indian tennis once again finds itself relying on its traditional doubles strength while continuing its search for the next major singles breakthrough.