Rohan Bopanna has served plenty of aces in his career. But the Indian doubles star also serves something else on the ATP Tour: coffee expertise.

“When I go to the tournaments, everybody comes to me and says, “Rohan, this is bad coffee!’ Bopanna said, cracking a laugh. “I say, ‘I’m sorry but I can’t do anything with it’!”

Bopanna is more than just a coffee connoisseur. The 39-year-old, currently No. 36 in the ATP Doubles Rankings, has his own line of The Flying Squirrel coffee: Rohan Bopanna’s Master Blend.

“To be honest, the coffee came first, before my tennis. That’s something which has been part of the family. We grow coffee, hence the coffee love came,” Bopanna said. “I’ve been through the whole process of how it works, how the plants grow. Now I’m learning so much more about getting the right blend, roasting the coffee and everything from the past three years. But the growing part I’ve always known how to grow the coffee and all of that goes back to my childhood.”

Bopanna’s family estate, home of their coffee plantation, is in Coorg, a district in the state of Karnataka, in southwest India. When the former No. 3 doubles player in the world was growing up, his father had not started a coffee company — they simply sold beans to those who were interested in buying. But nevertheless, it’s been a part of his life as long as he can remember.

“Me being the only son, I feel there is an opportunity for me to go back whenever I’m done [with tennis] to take care of that plantation,” Bopanna said. “This [venture] was something added on, something different and yes, of course, I would love to still be very much part of it. One of the reasons I started now is that with tennis, obviously [my life] as a player is going to end one day. There’s something more to look for and coffee’s been a pure love from the beginning, so why not continue with it?”

Not only does Bopanna get to share his work with other players on the ATP Tour, but by travelling the world, he gets to try different blends every week. The 18-time tour-level titlist does bring his own beans and filter on the road with him, though.

“Tennis takes us to some beautiful cities, where automatically I get to taste all the greatest coffees,” Bopanna said. “Australia has some great coffee places. Even last week I was in Phoenix, Arizona. I was in the old town of Scottsdale and that had exceptional coffee places at the different cafes.

“Tennis has given me an opportunity to taste different coffees and hopefully take that experience to improve Indian coffee more.”

While it is as catchy as hot shots you see on the court, one may wonder where the name of the company — ‘The Flying Squirrel’ — came from.

“The family friend who I tied up with, at the estate, we have flying squirrels there,” Bopanna said. “When I started my blend, I thought the best way was to tie [my line] up with his [brand] since they already have the roasters and everything… to start everything from scratch would have been tough, hence the name ‘The Flying Squirrel’.”

While Bopanna takes his coffee seriously, he’s certainly not done on the court yet. At this week’s Miami Open presented by Itau, Bopanna is competing alongside #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov. The Indian also played with Shapovalov at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

“The idea is to obviously try and do well in these big tournaments, big Masters series events. That’s the key,” Bopanna said. “I’m at a stage that when I play these tournaments, I’m looking to obviously do well and try to win the tournament. You’ve been on the [ATP] Tour for such a long time. You know every player out there, you know what to expect and you’re going there to try to win the tournament.”

As Bopanna continues to try to make his mark on the court, he’s trying to win over his colleagues’ taste buds, too.

“Indian coffee I feel has really grown in a big way in India and I feel we can really bring it out to the world to try to experience it. I feel the best way for me is to try to use my tennis platform to give a lot of my homegrown coffee to all the tennis players who love coffee,” Bopanna said. “I’ve gotten great feedback from all these players who have tried it and enjoyed it so far. It’s something very, very different, and I enjoy doing it.”

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic begins his quest for a seventh title at the Miami Open presented by Itau on Friday night against Australian Bernard Tomic. American John Isner opens his title defence earlier in the day at Hard Rock Stadium with an afternoon match against Italian qualifier Lorenzo Sonego.

Australian Dominic Thiem, who defeated Roger Federer in the BNP Paribas Open final on Sunday to win his first ATP Masters 1000 title, faces a challenge from Indian Wells quarter-finalist Hubert Hurkacz. Former Miami finalist Kei Nishikori kicks off the action on Grandstand with a noon match against Serbian Dusan Lajovic.

View Friday’s schedule and come back later to read preview notes. 

ORDER OF PLAY – FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2019

STADIUM start 12:00 noon
WTA match
Not Before 2:00 pm
[Q] Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) vs [7] John Isner (USA) 
WTA match
Not Before 8:00 pm
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs Bernard Tomic (AUS) 
Not Before 9:30 pm
WTA match

GRANDSTAND start 12:00 noon
Dusan Lajovic (SRB) vs [5] Kei Nishikori (JPN) 
Not Before 2:00 pm
WTA match
[27] Nick Kyrgios (AUS) vs [Q] Alexander Bublik (KAZ) 
WTA match
Not Before 7:00 pm
[3] Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 

COURT 1 start 11:00 am
Ilya Ivashka (BLR) vs [19] Kyle Edmund (GBR) 
[12] Milos Raonic (CAN) vs Maximilian Marterer (GER) 
WTA match
[25] Lucas Pouille (FRA) vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) 
WTA match
WTA match

BUTCH BUCHHOLZ start 11:00 am
WTA match
[11] Borna Coric (CRO) vs Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP) 
WTA match
Robin Haase (NED) vs [16] Gael Monfils (FRA) 
Guido Andreozzi (ARG) vs [15] Fabio Fognini (ITA) 
WTA match

COURT 6 start 11:00 am
WTA match
Not Before 12:30 pm
[17] Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) vs Mischa Zverev (GER)
WTA match
[22] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) vs [PR] Janko Tipsarevic (SRB)  
WTA match

Read Tipsarevic Still Digging, Seven Surgeries Later

COURT 8 start 11:00 am
WTA match
Federico Delbonis (ARG) vs [32] John Millman (AUS) 
[Q] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs [29] Marton Fucsovics (HUN) 
WTA match
WTA match

COURT 9 start 11:00 am
Jeremy Chardy (FRA) vs [23] Gilles Simon (FRA) 
3 WTA matches
After Suitable Rest – [WC] Marcelo Demoliner (BRA) / Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) vs John Isner (USA) / Sam Querrey (USA)

COURT 7 start 1:30 pm
WTA match
Not Before 3:00 pm
[WC] Mackenzie McDonald (USA) / Reilly Opelka (USA) vs [2] Jamie Murray (GBR) / Bruno Soares (BRA)
After Suitable Rest – Radu Albot (MDA) / Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) vs Ben McLachlan (JPN) / Neal Skupski (GBR) 

In the past 40 days, only wonderful things have happened for me. As captain of the Chilean Davis Cup team, I helped my country reach the World Group stage for the first time since 2011. Soon after that, I began working with Dominic Thiem at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires. I accompanied him to Rio de Janeiro (for the Rio Open presented by Claro) a week later and now we’re here in the United States. The most incredible thing is that in just our third tournament together, at a time when we’re still getting to know each other, Dominic has won his first ATP Masters 1000 title, and he did it on a hard court at the BNP Paribas Open [d. Roger Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-5]. One of the reasons why he asked me to join his team in the first place; was because he felt that I could help bring his hard-court game up to speed with his very accomplished clay-court game.

What’s most impressive is that Dominic is producing the intended results so quickly. It even surprised me because it’s the first time I’ve been in this situation and under these circumstances as a coach, where I’ve been brought in for a very specific role.

Besides being Davis Cup captain, I have a tennis academy in Chile and I manage players’, but I don’t travel with them. So, it’s amazing that after a few weeks of accompanying Dom, we won in Indian Wells. I cannot be any happier; it feels great to help him achieve his goals.

And to think, all of this came together just recently. Thiem didn’t compete for Austria in the Davis Cup tie against Chile, but his coach, Gunter Bresnik, reached out to me at one point. I joined Dominic’s team during the Argentina Open soon after. Even though we never actually met prior to working together, I had been following Dominic’s career for a long time and admired his game. I considered him championship material. What I liked most was the sense of family among Team Thiem. Having worked with other teams before, I was delighted by how Dominic’s group had a sense of unity. They opened all doors to me and accommodated me in every way possible, to ensure that I had the tools to get the job done.

The first thing I noticed about Dom as a player was that he needed some time to heal. His body was a little worn by the end of last season and it became more noticeable at the start of this year. By the time we got to Buenos Aires, Dom was just getting out of recovery mode and needed to build his strength, both physically and mentally. His loss earlier on in Rio (l. to Laslo Dere 6-3, 6-3) was a good thing, as it gave us time to get to Indian Wells early and continue the rebuilding process.

It was then that I recommended fitness therapy coach Duglas Cordero to work with our team. Duglas is an experienced physical trainer; he’s worked with Fabio Fognini and I spent time with him during my professional career. This allowed Dom’s physiotherapist, Alex Stober, to handle one set of roles and for Duglas to take on another and guarantee we got our player as fit as possible. I continued my part in developing his game for the hard courts. I feel that between the three of us, we made an immediate impact. As Thiem put it, he started looking at his game in a different way and because of very precise planning, an intense drive and strong work ethic — all at a very high level — the results showed quickly. Add to that the passion and positive energy we bring, and you can see why his game has grown in such a short amount of time.

The BNP Paribas Open was the perfect place for Thiem to demonstrate how far he had come in such a short space of time. Throughout the tournament, I contributed by instructing him to make small adjustments, minor tweaks that would make a lot of difference on Indian Wells’ hard courts. I was surprised by how quickly he picked up on things; he has an incredible ability to learn something and immediately apply it during a match. He’s an amazing talent and extremely disciplined. Ask Dom to do something and he’ll do it — just better. It’s a privilege as a coach to work with a player of that calibre.

We discussed a lot of things as he progressed through the tournament. We approached each match with its own game plan. I explained to him that in addition to improving his overall game, he needed to work on his return of serve. I felt he needed to step closer to the baseline, even inside of it, more often. If you look back at replays of his matches, you’ll notice as the deeper he got into the tournament, the closer he got to the baseline while returning serves.

In addition to his return game, Dom and I spent a lot of time talking about what types of shots to use and when to execute them. When to hit high, looping balls; when to go with the slice; when to use topspin or to surprise with a drop shot. We took a close look at all his weapons and broke down when they would be most effective. If you look back at the most critical points throughout the tournament, you’ll notice those are when Dom played at his best. It goes to show he’s got a champion’s mentality. It’s those little alterations that make a huge difference to a player like Dom. Even so, I’m still surprised at what a spectacular talent he is. Dom’s back to a career-high No. 4 (which he first attained on 13 November 2017) and feeling at an all-time high. That makes my life much easier as a coach.

I feel a close connection with Dominic’s game and I’m able to identify key areas of it every day. I see a lot in his game that resembles my own game and the way I played when I was on tour. He’s got fluid footwork; he’s always moving into position and maneuvering the ball around the court to line up his best shots. We’ve got different personalities, of course. After all, he’s Austrian and I’m Chilean. But maybe that’s why we complement each other. It’s still hard to believe that a little over a month ago, we didn’t even know one another personally. Since then, we’ve bonded as a team. I don’t change my ways for anyone and in this case, that isn’t even an afterthought. I’m working with an incredible talent.

Sixteen years ago, Spaniard David Ferrer made his debut at the Miami Open presented by Itau. On Thursday night at the ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament, the 36-year-old Spaniard will begin his final tournament appearance against American Sam Querrey in the night session. Ferrer has a 32-16 tournament record, highlighted by a runner-up finish to Andy Murray in 2013. 

View Thursday’s first-round schedule and check back later for preview notes.

ORDER OF PLAY – THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019

STADIUM start 12:00 noon
WTA match
[WC] Christopher Eubanks (USA) vs Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 
Not Before 4:00 pm
WTA match 
Not Before 7:30 pm
WTA match 
Not Before 9:00 pm
Sam Querrey (USA) vs [WC] David Ferrer (ESP) 

GRANDSTAND start 12:00 noon
Tennys Sandgren (USA) vs [Q] Alexander Bublik (KAZ) 
Not Before 2:00 pm
WTA match
Feliciano Lopez (ESP) vs Benoit Paire (FRA) 
Not Before 5:00 pm
WTA match 
Not Before 7:00 pm
Ernests Gulbis (LAT) vs [WC] Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) 

COURT 1 start 11:00 am
Cameron Norrie (GBR) vs Jordan Thompson (AUS) 
WTA match
Bernard Tomic (AUS) vs [Q] Thiago Monteiro (BRA) 
Joao Sousa (POR) vs [WC] Chun Hsin Tseng (TPE) 
[Q] Reilly Opelka (USA) vs Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 
WTA match

BUTCH BUCHHOLZ start 11:00 am
Leonardo Mayer (ARG) vs [Q] Mikael Ymer (SWE) 
[Q] Andrey Rublev (RUS) vs Taro Daniel (JPN) 
3 WTA matches

COURT 6 start 11:00 am
Robin Haase (NED) vs [Q] Lukas Lacko (SVK) 
WTA match
[Q] Radu Albot (MDA) vs Matthew Ebden (AUS) 
WTA match
Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) vs Filip Krajinovic (SRB) 
Pablo Andujar (ESP) vs Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 

COURT 8 start 11:00 am
WTA match
Dusan Lajovic (SRB) vs [Q] Pablo Cuevas (URU)
WTA match
[LL] Daniel Evans (GBR) vs Malek Jaziri (TUN)
WTA match
[LL] Mackenzie McDonald (USA) vs Ugo Humbert (FRA) 

COURT 9 start 11:00 am
5 WTA matches
Adrian Mannarino (FRA) vs Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 

COURT 2 start 11:00 am
WTA match
Martin Klizan (SVK) vs [Q] Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 
[Q] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs [Q] Casper Ruud (NOR) 
Jaume Munar (ESP) vs [Q] Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND) 

COURT 3 start 11:00 am
Karen Khachanov (RUS) / Daniil Medvedev (RUS) vs Wesley Koolhof (NED) / Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 
Steve Johnson (USA) / Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs [7] Marcel Granollers (ESP) / Nikola Mektic (CRO) 
Alexander Zverev (GER) / Mischa Zverev (GER) vs Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 
Jeremy Chardy (FRA) / Gilles Simon (FRA) vs Nicolas Jarry (CHI) / Franko Skugor (CRO)