Rohan Bopanna hit out at a respected commentator after she gave information about him at the ATP Finals that the Indian said was untrue.
As usual, the ATP Finals singles matches received more attention than the doubles action. The exceptional level of the singles contests meant that reality may have been even more stark than usual.
Jannik Sinner completed a perfect week to win the ATP Finals singles title after an excellent performance in the final against Taylor Fritz. The Italian did not drop a set throughout the tournament, becoming the first man to do that since Ivan Lendl in 1986.
There were other thrilling singles battles during the tournament. Although it only lasted two sets, Alexander Zverev's victory against an angry Carlos Alcaraz was a high-quality and enjoyable match for the fans.
The most dramatic singles contest of the ATP Finals was undoubtedly the semifinal between Fritz and Alexander Zverev. Although Zverev felt like the better player for much of the match, his opponent prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 7-6.
However, the doubles action was also thoroughly enjoyable for those who paid attention to it. Tim Putz and Kevin Krawietz narrowly overcame Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo 7-6, 7-6 in a tight final to win the doubles title at the season-ending tournament.
One of the teams at the ATP Finals was Bopanna and Matthew Ebden. Bopanna is now 44 years old, but some of his biggest successes have come in the last few years.
The most notable of these was at this year's Australian Open. Bopanna won the first men's doubles Grand Slam of his long career in Melbourne by defeating Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the final.
That achievement was particularly special for Ebden because the Australian Open is his home Grand Slam. He and Bopanna will remember that moment for the rest of their lives.
However, the pair did not enjoy the success they hoped for at the ATP Finals. They were eliminated after losing their opening two matches, including Bolelli and Vavassori getting their revenge after the Australian Open final loss.
Bopanna and Ebden at least signed off by defeating the eventual champions Putz and Krawietz in their final round-robin match of the season-ending tournament in Turin.
But Bopanna was in no mood to celebrate after becoming aware of commentator Naomi Cavaday saying he and Ebden would end their partnership next year, and Bopanna would partner with Ivan Dodig.
Bopanna shared the video on X (formerly Twitter) with a message saying that the information was not true and asking Cavaday not to spread unverified information.
"I kindly request you to please verify & refrain from sharing false information with a global audience, particularly regarding Ivan Dodig being my partner. I was never set to play with Ivan next year. Thank you @naomicavaday."
Although no player likes having false things said about them, Cavaday's mistake seemed honest and entirely non-malicious. Perhaps Bopanna could have reached out to her privately and let Cavaday correct the record herself rather than taking the approach he did.
0 Comments