Ace in the game of courtship

They got married in 2012 and now Rohan Bopanna and Supriya are back on home ground on a break.

Away from his practice sessions in Hyderabad, Rohan is all set for his season ahead, where he is ready to team with partner Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi for the upcoming Australian Open. We caught up with the World No 3 doubles player and his pretty wife about tennis and things they like doing, when they were in the city to unveil the season's Platinum Love bands.

PLAYING BALL

“Playing with different partners has taught us important lessons, especially as far as mutual understanding is concerned. This season, I have worked very hard on my speed on court and volley," says Rohan. While Supriya quips in between that at times she feels he is married to his court partners, “He spends more time with them than with me," she reveals. Rohan explains that reason his partnership with French player, Eduard Roger Vasselin at the Wimbledon didn't do well was because they were not well-acquainted with each other. “Aisam and I have great understanding, which unfortunately, Roger and I did not have the chance to achieve," he feels.

PLATINUM MOMENT OF LOVE

Despite being from the same community, both Rohan and Supriya faced quite a few hurdles before getting hitched. Rohan was so besotted that he even designed the engagement rock, sorry ring! “I designed it with the help of a friend in New York while I was playing the US Open. And asked her best friend who I had never met to give me her size," he recalls.

For those who do not know, Rohan fell in love with his wife at a night club in the city and confesses that no one even had the faintest whiff of their relationship till they were married. Supriya recalls, “For me, it wasn't love at first sight but something that grew over time." Incidentally, everyone knew about Rohan's intentions four months before the actual proposal. “I fell for his humility. He has never shooed away a fan," states the loving wife, adding, “I remember once we had gone for a movie with friends and a fan asked for an autograph. As he was about to sign, I pushed the fan to ask for a picture too. Rohan went red and it was endearing to see him blush. I love putting him in the spot."

Supriya has just finished specialising in adolescence, family and marriage psychology. She has also worked with autistic children for a year. Rohan who is eight years her senior, wanted her to finish her education before she starts touring with him. Now she will head to Australia. “He prefers NY more because of the food and the city life. He is a big foodie," she adds. The couple's idea of quality time and romance is not travelling to exotic locales, but instead sleeping on their own bed and eating home cooked food. “We love partying and dancing and host house parties because there is no restriction on the time, dancing and music," expresses the psychologist.