Purav Raja(/ˈpʊərævˈrɑːə/POOR-avRAH-jə;[1]born 7 December 1985) is anIndiantennisplayer. He specializes in doubles and competes on the ATP World Tour. He has won two ATP doubles titles and represents India in theDavis Cup.

Purav Raja
Raja at the2018 French Open
Country (sports)India
ResidenceMumbai,India
Born(1985-12-07)7 December 1985(age 38)
Mumbai, India
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Turned pro2005
PlaysRight-handed
Prize moneyUS$598,677
Singles
Career record0–1
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 813 (30 July 2007)
Doubles
Career record67–87
Career titles2
Highest rankingNo. 52 (17 July 2017)
Current rankingNo. 214 (15 January 2024)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open3R (2018)
French Open3R (2017)
Wimbledon2R (2017)
US Open2R (2017)
Last updated on: 21 January 2024.

Personal and early life

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Purav Raja grew up inMumbaiand began playing tennis when he was 7 years old. He citesindoor carpetas his preferred surface, with his favourite shot being thedrop shot.Raja was educated atMillfieldinSomerset.[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 andBromley.[3]

Professional career

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Early years

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Raja 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 atNew Delhi Challenger 4partnering with compatriotRohan Gajjar.[6]He won his first doubles ATP Challenger title at2009 Karshi Challengerwith his Australian PartnerSadik Kadir.[7]

2010–2012

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From year 2010 Raja started finding consistent success at ATP Challenger tour. In year 2010 he reached four Challenger finals and won a title at2010 Dunlop World Challengein Tokyo with partnerTreat Conrad Huey. In 2011 Raja reached three challenger finals winning one of it at2011 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

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In February, Raja made hisDavis Cupdebut against Korea. He partnered with Indian doubles legendLeander Paesand won his debut tie.[8]

2013 proved to be breakthrough year for Raja. He played most of the season with his most successful partnerDivij Sharan.The pair performed consistently and reached 5 Challenger finals winning a title atKyoto Challenger,Japan. Raja and Divij found their biggest success by winning their first ATP world tour title at2013 Claro Openin Bogotá, Colombia. They defeated second-seed French-Dutch combination ofÉdouard Roger-VasselinandIgor Sijslingin the finals.[9]

They also entered qualifying draw at2013 Wimbledon Championshipsand successfully qualified for main draw. They lost in first round toNicholas MonroeandSimon 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

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Raja's performance dipped a bit in year 2014. He could reach only two Challenger finals winning only one title. He won the title withDivij SharanatKyoto Challengerin Japan.[11]His performance at ATP world tour level was also poor with his best finish as a semifinal appearance atZagreb Indoors.As a result, his rankings fell out of top 100 and he finished year at 130.

2015

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Raja started season on strong note. He reached to semifinals atChennai Open.In February, he partnered withFabrice Martinand made to the finals atZagreb Indoors.This was Raja's second ATP world tour level final. They lost to second seedsMarin DraganjaandHenri Kontinenin 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 atPortorož Challengerand made it to the finals atHua Hin Challenger.He finished the year at no. 93 ranking in doubles.

2016: Second ATP world tour title

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2016 proved to be very good year for Raja. He played for most part of the year with compatriotDivij Sharanand together they reached 6 ATP Challenger finals winning 4 of it. They won titles atManchester Trophy Challenger,Aegon Surbiton Trophy,Open Castilla y LeónandPune Challenger.The pair also won their second ATP world tour title atLos Cabos Open,Mexico. They defeated pair ofJonathan ErlichandKen Skupskiin the finals.[13]

In Grand Slams, Raja played his first ever match ofFrench Openmain draw along withIvo Karlovićof 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 ofŁukasz KubotandAlexander Peya.[14]

2017

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Raja continued his good form in year 2017. He started the new season on strong note by reaching to his fourth ATP world tour final at2017 Chennai Openwith partnerDivij Sharan.In an all Indian final they lost to the team ofRohan BopannaandJeevan Nedunchezhiyan.[15]

He reached three Challenger finals and won all of it. He wonBordeaux Challengerwith Divij.[16]In November, he won back to back titles in two consecutive weeks atKnoxvilleandChampaignwithLeander Paes.[17]

This was the first year in Raja's career where he played in main draw of all four Grand Slams. He played withDivij Sharanin first three slams of the year and partnered withLeander Paesfor US Open. He crashed out in opening round atAustralian Open,reached third round atFrench Openand lost in second round atWimbledonandUS Open.

In September, Raja played his second Davis Cup match withRohan Bopannain world group play-offs against Canada. But they lost to pair ofDaniel NestorandVasek Pospisil.[18]

Raja reached his career best ranking of 52 on 17 July 2017 and finished the year with doubles ranking of 60.

2018

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Raja registered his best result at Australian Open by reaching third round. His partner at the event wasLeander Paes.[19]

Raja reached four ATP Challenger finals in 2018. He won two titles atAmex-Istanbul Challenger[20]andWolffkran Open[21]while finishing as runner-up atPlay in ChallengerandBengaluru 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

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Doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)

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Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
ATP World Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (0–0)
ATP World Tour 500 Series (0–0)
ATP World Tour 250 Series (2–2)
Titles by surface
Hard (2–2)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Titles by setting
Outdoor (2–1)
Indoor (0–1)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Jul 2013 Colombia Open,Colombia 250 Series Hard Divij Sharan Édouard Roger-Vasselin
Igor Sijsling
7–6(7–4),7–6(7–3)
Loss 1–1 Feb 2015 Zagreb Indoors,Croatia 250 Series Hard (i) Fabrice Martin Marin Draganja
Henri Kontinen
4–6, 4–6
Win 2–1 Aug 2016 Los Cabos Open,Mexico 250 Series Hard Divij Sharan Jonathan Erlich
Ken Skupski
7–6(7–4),7–6(7–3)
Loss 2–2 Jan 2017 Chennai Open,India 250 Series Hard Divij Sharan Rohan Bopanna
Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan
3–6, 4–6

Challenger finals

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Legend
ATP Challenger Tour(21–24)

Doubles: 44 (21–23)

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Outcome W–L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score
Loss 0–1 Aug 2008 New Delhi 4,India Hard Rohan Gajjar Harsh Mankad
Ashutosh Singh
6–4, 4–6, [9–11]
Win 1–1 Aug 2009 Karshi,Uzbekistan Hard Sadik Kadir Andis Juška
Deniss Pavlovs
6–3, 7–6(7–4)
Loss 1–2 Jun 2010 Rome 3,Italy Clay Sadik Kadir Santiago González
Travis Rettenmaier
2–6, 4–6
Loss 1–3 Jun 2010 Reggio Emilia,Italy Clay Sadik Kadir Philipp Oswald
Martin Slanar
2–6, 7–5, [6–10]
Loss 1–4 Aug 2010 Beijing,China Hard Sadik Kadir Pierre-Ludovic Duclos
Artem Sitak
6–7(4–7),6–7(5–7)
Win 2–4 Nov 2010 Toyota,Japan Carpet (i) Treat Conrad Huey Tasuku Iwami
Hiroki Kondo
6–1, 6–2
Win 3–4 May 2011 Cremona,Italy Hard Treat Conrad Huey Tomasz Bednarek
Mateusz Kowalczyk
6–1, 6–2
Loss 3–5 Jul 2011 Recanati,Italy Hard Federico Gaio Frederik Nielsen
Ken Skupski
4–6, 5–7
Loss 3–6 Oct 2011 Seoul,South Korea Hard Divij Sharan Sanchai Ratiwatana
Sonchat Ratiwatana
4–6, 6–7(3–7)
Loss 3–7 Jun 2012 Fürth,Germany Clay Rameez Junaid Arnau Brugués Davi
João Sousa
5–7, 7–6(7–4),[9–11]
Loss 3–8 Nov 2012 Loughborough,United Kingdom Hard Divij Sharan James Cerretani
Adil Shamasdin
4–6, 5–7
Win 4–8 Mar 2013 Kyoto,Japan Carpet Divij Sharan Chris Guccione
Matt Reid
6–4, 7–5
Loss 4–9 Apr 2013 Leon,Mexico Hard Divij Sharan Chris Guccione
Matt Reid
3–6, 5–7
Loss 4–10 May 2013 Johannesburg,South Africa Hard Divij Sharan Prakash Amritraj
Rajeev Ram
6–7(1–7),6–7(1–7)
Loss 4–11 Jun 2013 Nottingham,United Kingdom Grass Divij Sharan Sanchai Ratiwatana
Sonchat Ratiwatana
7–6(7–5),6–7(3–7),[8–10]
Loss 4–12 Oct 2013 Tashkent,Uzbekistan Hard Divij Sharan Mikhail Elgin
Teymuraz Gabashvili
4–6, 4–6
Win 5–12 Mar 2014 Kyoto,Japan Carpet Divij Sharan Sanchai Ratiwatana
Michael Venus
5–7, 7–6(7–3),[10–4]
Loss 5–13 Aug 2014 Aptos,United States Hard Sanam Singh Ruben Bemelmans
Laurynas Grigelis
3–6, 6–4, [9–11]
Loss 5–14 Mar 2015 Guangzhou,China Hard Fabrice Martin Daniel Muñoz de la Nava
Aleksandr Nedovyesov
2–6, 5–7
Win 6–14 Aug 2015 Portorož,Slovenia Hard Fabrice Martin Aliaksandr Bury
Andreas Siljeström
7–6(7–5),4–6, [18–16]
Loss 6–15 Nov 2015 Hua Hin,Thailand Hard Andre Begemann Lee Hsin-han
Lu Yen-hsun
Walkover
Loss 6–16 Apr 2016 Savannah,United States Clay Divij Sharan Brian Baker
Ryan Harrison
7–5, 6–7(4–7),[8–10]
Win 7–16 Jun 2016 Manchester,United Kingdom Grass Divij Sharan Ken Skupski
Neal Skupski
6–3, 3–6, [11–9]
Win 8–16 Jun 2016 Surbiton,United Kingdom Grass Divij Sharan Ken Skupski
Neal Skupski
6–4, 7–6(7–3)
Win 9–16 Jul 2016 Segovia,Spain Hard Divij Sharan Quino Muñoz
Akira Santillan
6–3, 4–6, [10–8]
Win 10–16 Oct 2016 Pune,India Hard Divij Sharan Luca Margaroli
Hugo Nys
3–6, 6–3, [11–9]
Loss 10–17 Nov 2016 Bratislava,Slovakia Hard Divij Sharan Ken Skupski
Neal Skupski
6–4, 3–6, [5–10]
Win 11–17 May 2017 Bordeaux,France Clay Divij Sharan Santiago González
Artem Sitak
6–4, 6–4
Win 12–17 Nov 2017 Knoxville,United States Hard (i) Leander Paes James Cerretani
John-Patrick Smith
7–6(7–4),7–6(7–4)
Win 13–17 Nov 2017 Champaign,United States Hard (i) Leander Paes Ruan Roelofse
Joe Salisbury
6–3, 6–7(5–7),[10–5]
Loss 13–18 Mar 2018 Lille,France Hard Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan Hugo Nys
Tim Pütz
6–7(3–7),6–1, [7–10]
Win 14–18 Sep 2018 Istanbul,Turkey Hard Rameez Junaid Timur Khabibulin
Vladyslav Manafov
7–6(7–4),4–6, [10–7]
Win 15–18 Oct 2018 Ismaning,Germany Carpet Antonio Šančić Rameez Junaid
David Pel
5–7, 6–4, [10–5]
Loss 15–19 Nov 2018 Bangalore,India Hard Antonio Šančić Max Purcell
Luke Saville
6–7(3–7),3–6
Win 16–19 Nov 2019 Kobe,Japan Hard (i) Ramkumar Ramanathan André Göransson
Christopher Rungkat
7–6(8–6),6–3
Win 17–19 Nov 2019 Pune,India Hard (i) Ramkumar Ramanathan Arjun Kadhe
Saketh Myneni
7–6(7–3),6–3
Win 18–19 Feb 2020 Bangalore,India Hard Ramkumar Ramanathan Matthew Ebden
Leander Paes
6–0, 6–3
Win 19–19 Oct 2021 Lisbon,Portugal Clay Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan Nuno Borges
Francisco Cabral
7–6(7–5),6–3
Loss 19–20 Nov 2021 Tenerife,Spain Hard Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan Nuno Borges
Francisco Cabral
3–6, 4–6
Loss 19–21 Mar 2022 Biel/Bienne,Switzerland Hard (i) Ramkumar Ramanathan Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Albano Olivetti
3–6, 4–6
Loss 19–22 Jul 2022 Indianapolis,USA Hard (i) Divij Sharan Hans Hach Verdugo
Hunter Reese
6–7(3–7),6–3, [7–10]
Win 20–22 Sep 2022 Istanbul,Turkey Hard Divij Sharan Arjun Kadhe
Fernando Romboli
6–4, 3–6, [10–8]
Loss 20–23 Oct 2022 Mouilleron-le-Captif,France Hard (i) Divij Sharan Sander Arends
David Pel
7–6(7–1),6–7(6–8),[6–10]
Win 21–23 Nov 2022 Helsinki,Finland Hard (i) Divij Sharan Reese Stalder
Petros Tsitsipas
6–7(5–7),6–3, [10–8]
Loss 21–24 Mar 2023 Les Franqueses del Vallès,Spain Hard Divij Sharan Anirudh Chandrasekar
Vijay Sundar Prashanth
5–7, 1–6

Doubles performance timeline

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Key
W F SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Updated through the2019 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

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  1. ^"The pronunciation by Purav Raja himself".ATPWorldTour.com.Archivedfrom the original on 27 December 2017.Retrieved24 January2018.
  2. ^"Millfield School (Tennis Club)".ClubSpark.Archivedfrom the original on 18 May 2022.Retrieved13 May2022.
  3. ^"ATP Bio – Purav Raja".atpworldtour.com.Archivedfrom the original on 22 May 2018.Retrieved22 May2018.
  4. ^"Purav Raja – ATP profile".atpworldtour.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2 June 2018.Retrieved22 May2018.
  5. ^"Purav Raja – ITF profile".itftennis.com.Archived fromthe originalon 22 May 2018.Retrieved22 May2018.
  6. ^"New Delhi Challenger 2008 – Doubles Draw".itftennis.com.Retrieved22 May2018.
  7. ^"Karshi Challenger 2009 – Doubles Draw".itftennis.com.Retrieved22 May2018.
  8. ^"Davis Cup Profile – Purav Raja".Archivedfrom the original on 24 July 2018.Retrieved24 May2018.
  9. ^"Divij Sharan, Purav Raja win first ATP tour title in Bogotá".21 July 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 16 May 2018.Retrieved22 May2018.
  10. ^"Divij and Raja's Wimbledon debut ends in heart-breaking defeat".Press Trust of India. 25 June 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 8 September 2023.Retrieved22 May2018.
  11. ^"Divij and Raja clinch first Challenger title in Kyoto".Press Trust of India. 8 March 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 11 August 2018.Retrieved24 May2018.
  12. ^"PBZ Zagreb Indoors 2015".Archivedfrom the original on 24 May 2018.Retrieved24 May2018.
  13. ^"Indian Duo Surge To Los Cabos Title".atpworldtour.com.Archivedfrom the original on 17 May 2018.Retrieved16 May2018.
  14. ^"French Open 2016: Leander Paes, Sania Mirza win; Purav Raja dislodged".Press Trust of India. 27 May 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 25 May 2018.Retrieved24 May2018.
  15. ^Chaudhuri, Sharmistha (9 January 2017)."Chennai Open: Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan win doubles title".Archivedfrom the original on 2 April 2018.Retrieved17 May2018.
  16. ^"Sharan, Raja win Bordeaux Challenger".Press Trust of India. 21 May 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 11 August 2018.Retrieved25 May2018.
  17. ^Kumaraswamy, K (19 November 2017)."Paes-Raja win second Challenger in a row".Archivedfrom the original on 11 August 2018.Retrieved24 May2018.
  18. ^"Davis Cup, India vs Canada: Rohan Bopanna – Purav Raja defeat puts India down 1–2 against Canada".Press Trust of India. 17 September 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 24 May 2018.Retrieved24 May2018.
  19. ^"Australian Open: Leander Paes, Purav Raja lose in pre-quarters; Rohan Bopanna advances".Press Trust of India. 21 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 11 February 2018.Retrieved4 March2019.
  20. ^"Purav Raja wins doubles title in Istanbul Challenger".16 September 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 24 January 2021.Retrieved4 March2019.
  21. ^Banerjee, Krishnendu (17 November 2018)."Bengaluru Open: Purav Raja upbeat despite another final loss".Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2019.Retrieved4 March2019.
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