Bopanna to partner Rajeev Ram, Bhupathi combines with Nestor

While Bhupathi will be partnering Canadian Daniel Nestor, Bopanna will be seen pairing up with long-time friend Rajeev on the ATP circuit next year.

The duo has a combined experience of 17 years on the professional circuit.

"Rohan and Rajeev had decided a few months ago to combine forces to make what they believe an extremely formidable partnership, given their complementary styles of play and strong service games," a release from Play Right, the firm which manages Bopanna, stated today.

Bopanna had a successful year with Bhupathi, which included two titles at Dubai and Paris and runner-up finish at the just-concluded season-ending London Masters.

He also attained his career-best ranking of eight in March this year.

"I played with Mahesh in 2012 with a special focus on preparing for the London Olympics and now that it's over, I want to concentrate on the ATP circuit and I am eager to build a strong, sustainable partnership," Bopanna said about his decision.

"Rajeev is a great player and given our individual strengths, and his command of the deuce court, I believe that we can complement each other very well on the court," he added.

The duo had earlier made an appearance as a team at the Australian Open in 2008, where as an unseeded combination they proceeded to the pre-quarters defeating higher ranked teams along the way. MORE