Purav Raja (/ˈpʊəræv ˈrɑːdʒə/ POOR-av RAH-jə;[1] born 7 December 1985) is an Indian tennis player. He specializes in doubles and competes on the ATP World Tour. He has won two ATP doubles titles and represents India in the Davis Cup.
 Raja at the 2018 French Open | |
| Country (sports) |  India |
|---|---|
| Residence | Mumbai, India |
| Born | 7 December 1985 Mumbai, India |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Turned pro | 2005 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Prize money | US$598,677 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 0–1 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 813 (30 July 2007) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 67–87 |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Highest ranking | No. 52 (17 July 2017) |
| Current ranking | No. 214 (15 January 2024) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2018) |
| French Open | 3R (2017) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2017) |
| US Open | 2R (2017) |
| Last updated on: 21 January 2024. | |
Personal and early life
editPurav Raja grew up in Mumbai and began playing tennis when he was 7 years old. He cites indoor carpet as his preferred surface, with his favourite shot being the drop shot. Raja was educated at Millfield in Somerset.[2]
Raja is very active in the Ananda Ashran orphanage and The Fellowship of the Physically Handicapped in Mumbai. He splits his training between Mumbai and Bromley.[3]
Professional career
editEarly years
editRaja turned pro in year 2005.[4] He started with ITF tour finding negligible success in singles but continued to excel in doubles. In year 2007 he started emerging as a doubles specialist as he went on to win 4 ITF titles. He followed his success in year 2008 with four more ITF doubles titles.[5] The same year he reached his first ATP Challenger doubles final at New Delhi Challenger 4 partnering with compatriot Rohan Gajjar.[6] He won his first doubles ATP Challenger title at 2009 Karshi Challenger with his Australian Partner Sadik Kadir.[7]
2010–2012
editFrom year 2010 Raja started finding consistent success at ATP Challenger tour. In year 2010 he reached four Challenger finals and won a title at 2010 Dunlop World Challenge in Tokyo with partner Treat Conrad Huey. In 2011 Raja reached three challenger finals winning one of it at 2011 Trofeo Paolo Corazzi. His performance dipped slightly in 2012. He reached only two Challenger finals and could not win a title after three successful years.
2013: Breakthrough, First ATP world tour title
editIn February, Raja made his Davis Cup debut against Korea. He partnered with Indian doubles legend Leander Paes and won his debut tie.[8]
2013 proved to be breakthrough year for Raja. He played most of the season with his most successful partner Divij Sharan. The pair performed consistently and reached 5 Challenger finals winning a title at Kyoto Challenger, Japan. Raja and Divij found their biggest success by winning their first ATP world tour title at 2013 Claro Open in Bogotá, Colombia. They defeated second-seed French-Dutch combination of Édouard Roger-Vasselin and Igor Sijsling in the finals.[9]
They also entered qualifying draw at 2013 Wimbledon Championships and successfully qualified for main draw. They lost in first round to Nicholas Monroe and Simon Stadler. This was the first match at a Grand Slam event for both Raja and Divij.[10]
As a result of good run Raja entered top 100 rankings for the first time in his career. He also finished year inside top 100 doubles rankings at 90.
2014
editRaja's performance dipped a bit in year 2014. He could reach only two Challenger finals winning only one title. He won the title with Divij Sharan at Kyoto Challenger in Japan.[11] His performance at ATP world tour level was also poor with his best finish as a semifinal appearance at Zagreb Indoors. As a result, his rankings fell out of top 100 and he finished year at 130.
2015
editRaja started season on strong note. He reached to semifinals at Chennai Open. In February, he partnered with Fabrice Martin and made to the finals at Zagreb Indoors. This was Raja's second ATP world tour level final. They lost to second seeds Marin Draganja and Henri Kontinen in the finals.[12] But after strong performance at ATP world tour level Raja started to struggle with his form. He could make it to only one Challenger final in first half of the season. He made good comeback in second half. He won a title at Portorož Challenger and made it to the finals at Hua Hin Challenger. He finished the year at no. 93 ranking in doubles.
2016: Second ATP world tour title
edit2016 proved to be very good year for Raja. He played for most part of the year with compatriot Divij Sharan and together they reached 6 ATP Challenger finals winning 4 of it. They won titles at Manchester Trophy Challenger, Aegon Surbiton Trophy, Open Castilla y León and Pune Challenger. The pair also won their second ATP world tour title at Los Cabos Open, Mexico. They defeated pair of Jonathan Erlich and Ken Skupski in the finals.[13]
In Grand Slams, Raja played his first ever match of French Open main draw along with Ivo Karlović of Croatia. But they crashed out in the opening round of the men's doubles event. The duo lost 1–6, 2–6 to ninth seeded Polish-Austrian pair of Łukasz Kubot and Alexander Peya.[14]
2017
editRaja continued his good form in year 2017. He started the new season on strong note by reaching to his fourth ATP world tour final at 2017 Chennai Open with partner Divij Sharan. In an all Indian final they lost to the team of Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan.[15]
He reached three Challenger finals and won all of it. He won Bordeaux Challenger with Divij.[16] In November, he won back to back titles in two consecutive weeks at Knoxville and Champaign with Leander Paes.[17]
This was the first year in Raja's career where he played in main draw of all four Grand Slams. He played with Divij Sharan in first three slams of the year and partnered with Leander Paes for US Open. He crashed out in opening round at Australian Open, reached third round at French Open and lost in second round at Wimbledon and US Open.
In September, Raja played his second Davis Cup match with Rohan Bopanna in world group play-offs against Canada. But they lost to pair of Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil.[18]
Raja reached his career best ranking of 52 on 17 July 2017 and finished the year with doubles ranking of 60.
2018
editRaja registered his best result at Australian Open by reaching third round. His partner at the event was Leander Paes.[19]
Raja reached four ATP Challenger finals in 2018. He won two titles at Amex-Istanbul Challenger[20] and Wolffkran Open[21] while finishing as runner-up at Play in Challenger and Bengaluru Open.
On ATP tour he reached only two semifinals and had first round exit at 10 events. At the lack of poor performance on ATP world tour, he finished year at ranking of 90.
ATP career finals
editDoubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)
edit
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| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jul 2013 | Colombia Open, Colombia | 250 Series | Hard | 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–3) | ||
| Loss | 1–1 | Feb 2015 | Zagreb Indoors, Croatia | 250 Series | Hard (i) | 4–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 2–1 | Aug 2016 | Los Cabos Open, Mexico | 250 Series | Hard | 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–3) | ||
| Loss | 2–2 | Jan 2017 | Chennai Open, India | 250 Series | Hard | 3–6, 4–6 |
Challenger finals
edit| Legend |
|---|
| ATP Challenger Tour (21–24) |
Doubles: 44 (21–23)
edit| Outcome | W–L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Aug 2008 | New Delhi 4, India | Hard | 6–4, 4–6, [9–11] | ||
| Win | 1–1 | Aug 2009 | Karshi, Uzbekistan | Hard | 6–3, 7–6(7–4) | ||
| Loss | 1–2 | Jun 2010 | Rome 3, Italy | Clay | 2–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 1–3 | Jun 2010 | Reggio Emilia, Italy | Clay | 2–6, 7–5, [6–10] | ||
| Loss | 1–4 | Aug 2010 | Beijing, China | Hard | 6–7(4–7), 6–7(5–7) | ||
| Win | 2–4 | Nov 2010 | Toyota, Japan | Carpet (i) | 6–1, 6–2 | ||
| Win | 3–4 | May 2011 | Cremona, Italy | Hard | 6–1, 6–2 | ||
| Loss | 3–5 | Jul 2011 | Recanati, Italy | Hard | 4–6, 5–7 | ||
| Loss | 3–6 | Oct 2011 | Seoul, South Korea | Hard | 4–6, 6–7(3–7) | ||
| Loss | 3–7 | Jun 2012 | Fürth, Germany | Clay | 5–7, 7–6(7–4), [9–11] | ||
| Loss | 3–8 | Nov 2012 | Loughborough, United Kingdom | Hard | 4–6, 5–7 | ||
| Win | 4–8 | Mar 2013 | Kyoto, Japan | Carpet | 6–4, 7–5 | ||
| Loss | 4–9 | Apr 2013 | Leon, Mexico | Hard | 3–6, 5–7 | ||
| Loss | 4–10 | May 2013 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | 6–7(1–7), 6–7(1–7) | ||
| Loss | 4–11 | Jun 2013 | Nottingham, United Kingdom | Grass | 7–6(7–5), 6–7(3–7), [8–10] | ||
| Loss | 4–12 | Oct 2013 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Hard | 4–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 5–12 | Mar 2014 | Kyoto, Japan | Carpet | 5–7, 7–6(7–3), [10–4] | ||
| Loss | 5–13 | Aug 2014 | Aptos, United States | Hard | 3–6, 6–4, [9–11] | ||
| Loss | 5–14 | Mar 2015 | Guangzhou, China | Hard | 2–6, 5–7 | ||
| Win | 6–14 | Aug 2015 | Portorož, Slovenia | Hard | 7–6(7–5), 4–6, [18–16] | ||
| Loss | 6–15 | Nov 2015 | Hua Hin, Thailand | Hard | Walkover | ||
| Loss | 6–16 | Apr 2016 | Savannah, United States | Clay | 7–5, 6–7(4–7), [8–10] | ||
| Win | 7–16 | Jun 2016 | Manchester, United Kingdom | Grass | 6–3, 3–6, [11–9] | ||
| Win | 8–16 | Jun 2016 | Surbiton, United Kingdom | Grass | 6–4, 7–6(7–3) | ||
| Win | 9–16 | Jul 2016 | Segovia, Spain | Hard | 6–3, 4–6, [10–8] | ||
| Win | 10–16 | Oct 2016 | Pune, India | Hard | 3–6, 6–3, [11–9] | ||
| Loss | 10–17 | Nov 2016 | Bratislava, Slovakia | Hard | 6–4, 3–6, [5–10] | ||
| Win | 11–17 | May 2017 | Bordeaux, France | Clay | 6–4, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 12–17 | Nov 2017 | Knoxville, United States | Hard (i) | 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–4) | ||
| Win | 13–17 | Nov 2017 | Champaign, United States | Hard (i) | 6–3, 6–7(5–7), [10–5] | ||
| Loss | 13–18 | Mar 2018 | Lille, France | Hard | 6–7(3–7), 6–1, [7–10] | ||
| Win | 14–18 | Sep 2018 | Istanbul, Turkey | Hard | 7–6(7–4), 4–6, [10–7] | ||
| Win | 15–18 | Oct 2018 | Ismaning, Germany | Carpet | 5–7, 6–4, [10–5] | ||
| Loss | 15–19 | Nov 2018 | Bangalore, India | Hard | 6–7(3–7), 3–6 | ||
| Win | 16–19 | Nov 2019 | Kobe, Japan | Hard (i) | 7–6(8–6), 6–3 | ||
| Win | 17–19 | Nov 2019 | Pune, India | Hard (i) | 7–6(7–3), 6–3 | ||
| Win | 18–19 | Feb 2020 | Bangalore, India | Hard | 6–0, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 19–19 | Oct 2021 | Lisbon, Portugal | Clay | 7–6(7–5), 6–3 | ||
| Loss | 19–20 | Nov 2021 | Tenerife, Spain | Hard | 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 19–21 | Mar 2022 | Biel/Bienne, Switzerland | Hard (i) | 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 19–22 | Jul 2022 | Indianapolis, USA | Hard (i) | 6–7(3–7), 6–3, [7–10] | ||
| Win | 20–22 | Sep 2022 | Istanbul, Turkey | Hard | 6–4, 3–6, [10–8] | ||
| Loss | 20–23 | Oct 2022 | Mouilleron-le-Captif, France | Hard (i) | 7–6(7–1), 6–7(6–8), [6–10] | ||
| Win | 21–23 | Nov 2022 | Helsinki, Finland | Hard (i) | 6–7(5–7), 6–3, [10–8] | ||
| Loss | 21–24 | Mar 2023 | Les Franqueses del Vallès, Spain | Hard | 5–7, 1–6 |
Doubles performance timeline
edit| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Updated through the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
| Tournament | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | A | 0/2 | 2–2 |
| French Open | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | 0/3 | 2–3 |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 0/6 | 1–6 |
| US Open | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | 0/2 | 1–2 |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 4–4 | 2–4 | 0–0 | 0/12 | 6–12 |
References
edit- ^ "The pronunciation by Purav Raja himself". ATPWorldTour.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Millfield School (Tennis Club)". ClubSpark. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "ATP Bio – Purav Raja". atpworldtour.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Purav Raja – ATP profile". atpworldtour.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Purav Raja – ITF profile". itftennis.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "New Delhi Challenger 2008 – Doubles Draw". itftennis.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Karshi Challenger 2009 – Doubles Draw". itftennis.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Davis Cup Profile – Purav Raja". Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ^ "Divij Sharan, Purav Raja win first ATP tour title in Bogotá". 21 July 2013. Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Divij and Raja's Wimbledon debut ends in heart-breaking defeat". Press Trust of India. 25 June 2013. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Divij and Raja clinch first Challenger title in Kyoto". Press Trust of India. 8 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ^ "PBZ Zagreb Indoors 2015". Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ^ "Indian Duo Surge To Los Cabos Title". atpworldtour.com. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ "French Open 2016: Leander Paes, Sania Mirza win; Purav Raja dislodged". Press Trust of India. 27 May 2016. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ^ Chaudhuri, Sharmistha (9 January 2017). "Chennai Open: Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan win doubles title". Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- ^ "Sharan, Raja win Bordeaux Challenger". Press Trust of India. 21 May 2017. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ^ Kumaraswamy, K (19 November 2017). "Paes-Raja win second Challenger in a row". Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ^ "Davis Cup, India vs Canada: Rohan Bopanna – Purav Raja defeat puts India down 1–2 against Canada". Press Trust of India. 17 September 2017. Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ^ "Australian Open: Leander Paes, Purav Raja lose in pre-quarters; Rohan Bopanna advances". Press Trust of India. 21 January 2018. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ "Purav Raja wins doubles title in Istanbul Challenger". 16 September 2018. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ Banerjee, Krishnendu (17 November 2018). "Bengaluru Open: Purav Raja upbeat despite another final loss". Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.