Rutuja Sampatrao Bhosale is an Indian tennis player. She represented India at the 2022 Asian Games and bagged a gold medal along with Rohan Bopanna at the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Rutuja Sampatrao Bhosale was born on Wednesday, 27 March 1996 (age 27 years; as of 2023) in Shrirampur, Maharashtra. Her zodiac sign is Aries. In 2017, she attained a degree in Human Resources and Tourism Management from Texas A&M University, Texas, United States.
Rutuja Bhosale at her graduation ceremony
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Weight (approx.): 60 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Rutuja Bhosale’s father, Sampatrao, is a police inspector and former national-level athlete.
Rutuja Bhosale with her father
Her mother, Neeta Bhosale, is a certified yoga teacher.
Rutuja with her mother
Husband & Children
On 8 August 2020, Rutuja Bhosale got married to Swapnil Gugale, former captain of the Maharashtra Ranji Team. Rutuja Bhosale is five years younger than Swapnil Gugale.
Rutuja Bhosale and Swapnil’s marriage picture
Relationships/Affairs
Rutuja Bhosale dated Swapnil Gugale for six years before they got married in 2020. They first met at a felicitation function in Deccan Gymkhana.
Rutuja Bhosale with Swapnil Gugale
Religion
Rutuja follows Hinduism, and she often visits various shrines and temples.
Rutuja through an Instagram post shared a picture of herself praying to Sai Baba
Career
ITF Circuit finals
Singles
Rutuja has played a total of 5 ITF Circuit finals in a singles event and has claimed all 5 titles. In June 2017, she competed in the ITF tournament held in Aurangabad, India, and emerged as the winner, defeating Mahak Jain in the finals. In September 2017, she won the ITF tournament held in Hua Hin, Thailand, by defeating Lee Hua-Chen of Taiwan.
Rutuja Bhosale playing in the 2017 ITF tournament
In October 2020, she won the ITF tournament held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, by defeating Anna Sisková of the Czech Republic. In December 2021, she won the ITF tournament held in Solapur, India, by defeating Vaidehi Chaudhari of India. In June 2023, she won the ITF tournament held in La Marsa, Tunisia, by defeating Anastasia Gasanova of Russia.
Rutuja Bhosale at the 2023 ITF tournament in La Marsa
Doubles
She has played a total of 33 ITF Circuit finals in the doubles category out of which she claimed 22 titles and finished as the runner-up in 11 of them. In December 2012, she debuted in the ITF Circuit tournament in the doubles category alongside Rishika Sunkara but lost to Arantxa Andrady and Kyra Shroff in the finals. Later, she played in various ITF tournaments. In September 2018, she won the Darwin Tennis International tournament, Australia, in which she partnered with Hiroko Kuwata of Japan. In September 2019, she competed in the Changsha Open in China in which she partnered with Erika Sema of Japan; however, the duo lost to Jiang Xinyu, and Tang Qianhui of China. In August 2022, she won the ITF tournament held in Roehampton, United Kingdom, in which she partnered with Erika Sema of Japan.
Rutuja Bhosale with Erika Sema of Japan
In July 2023, she won the ITF tournament held in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, where she partnered with Erika Sema of Japan. In July 2023, she won the ITF tournament held in Foxhills, United Kingdom, alongside Destanee Aiava of Australia.
Fed Cup participation
Singles
In 2012, she competed in the Asia/Oceania Zone II – Pool B of the Fed Cup held in Shenzhen, China, in which she faced participants from Iran, Oman, the Philippines, Turkmenistan, and Hongkong. She managed to win all of the pool matches and secured qualification for the final stage of the Group II Zonal Competition. In the final stage, she faced Chan Wing-yau as her opponent from Hong Kong but lost to her with a score of 4–6, 1–6. In 2013, she competed in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Pool A of the Fed Cup held in Astana, Kazakhstan, where she was defeated by an opponent from Thailand. She then competed in the playoffs and lost to an opponent from South Korea. In March 2020, she competed in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Pool A of the Billie Jean King Cup, erstwhile Fed Cup, held in Dubai, UAE, where she faced opponents from China, Uzbekistan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Indonesia. She won against participants from South Korea, Uzbekistan, and Taiwan but faced defeats against participants from China and Indonesia.
Rutuja at the 2020 Fed Cup
Doubles
In 2012, she competed in the Asia/Oceania Zone II – Pool B of the Fed Cup held in Shenzhen, China, where she partnered with Isha Lakhani of India and defeated the team of Oman.
Rutuja Bhosale (centre) in the 2012 Indian Fed Cup team
In 2013, she competed in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Pool A of the Fed Cup held in Astana, Kazakhstan, where she partnered with Ankita Raina of India and lost to the team of Kazakhstan.
Rutuja Bhosale (left) and Ankita Raina (right) with their coach Hemant Bendrey
Asian Games
In 2018, she made her debut at the Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia, representing India in the women’s doubles event alongside Pranjala Yadlapalli; however, the team did not qualify for the quarter-finals. In September 2023, Rutuja Bhosale represented India at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. She participated in the mixed doubles event, partnering with Rohan Bopanna, and bagged a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games by defeating the Chinese duo of Liang En-shuo and Huang Tsung-hao in the finals. In an interview, while talking about how she felt after winning at the 2022 Asian Games, she said,
It was a proud moment for me and Rohan (Bopanna) to represent India and win an Asian Games gold medal in mixed doubles after 13 long years. I am thankful for all the help and support that has gone into making us stand at the podium. “
A GOLDEN VICTORY🇮🇳🎾
Huge congratulations to the dynamic duo @rohanbopanna and @RutujaBhosale12 for their spectacular performance and clinching 🥇 in the Tennis Mixed Doubles event at the #AsianGames2022!
What a sensational comeback!
Our Champions displayed nerves of steel,… pic.twitter.com/apIdmZd6R9— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) September 30, 2023
Awards
In February 2019, Rutuja Bhosale’s father received the prestigious Shiv Chhatrapati Award for Rutuja’s excellence in sports on her behalf.
Extremely honoured on receiving the prestigious Shiv Chhatrapati Award!
What’s better than your proud father receiving it on your behalf…Thankful to everyone who had made this possible!🙏🏽👑
#Relianceyouthfoundation#ONGC#YonexIndia#MSLTA# pic.twitter.com/ROA0NlFb6m— Rutuja Bhosale (@RutujaBhosale12) February 17, 2019
Favourites
- Tennis player: Roger Federer
- Badminton Player: Saina Nehwal
- Cuisine: Maharashtrian (Indian)
- Disney Character: Stitch
- Sports other than Tennis: Basketball
- Travel Destination: Spain
- Actors: Chris Hemsworth and Liam Hemsworth
Facts/Trivia
- Rutuja started playing tennis when she was nine years old. She decided to pursue it professionally after she won a tournament in Chennai at the age of 12.
- She has been coached by Sandeep Kirtane and Hemant Bendrey.
- In an interview, while talking about how she overcomes losses, she said that she abides by the saying “Keep your head high, and keep working hard.” [1]Sportstar
- In her leisure time, she likes to spend time with her family and friends, go to the movies, and sleep.
- According to Rutuja, one of her strengths while playing tennis is her ‘forehand’ movement.
- According to Rutuja, her role model is Venus Williams, an American tennis player, and Novak Djokovic, a Serbian tennis player. She also likes to follow Venus Williams’ style of fashion.
- In 2012, she achieved her career’s highest junior world rank of 55.
- She is financially supported by the Punit Balan Group (PBG), a group that is committed to assisting and supporting sportspersons financially.
PBG group’s Instagram post about inducting Rutuja into the group
- According to her, she faces difficulty while playing against left-handed tennis players.
- According to her, some of the attributes that she’d like to adopt from her fellow tennis players are the serve of Ashleigh Barty, the Return of Victoria Azarenka, the Forehand and Backhand of Rafael Nadal, the Volley and Drop Shot of Roger Federer, and Agility of Simona Halep.
