Indian tennis has always shone at the continental level, winning 29 medals since the 1958 edition of Asian Games. Since 2010, India have won 10 medals, including three golds, at the Games.
There is a lot of expectations ahead of the upcoming event but the absence of senior campaigners comes as a big blow for chances of winning a medal in Jakarta and Palembang.
India's top-ranked men's singles shuttler Yuki Bhambri (97) has withdrawn from the multi-sport meet as he will be preparing for the season's final Grand Slam — US Open, starting August 28.
Mixed doubles gold medalist from Incheon Games, Sania Mirza will also be not in action in the upcoming edition due to pregnancy.
Can Ramkumar Ramanathan step up and deliver?
Indian men's singles campaign will be led by world number 118 Ramkumar Ramanathan. He will be joined by Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Sumit Nagal.
Ramkumar will be India's biggest hope for a medal in the men's singles category, considering his exploits in the last two seasons.
The 23-year-old, who stunned Dominic Thiem last year, went on to reach his maiden final at the tour level in Newport, thereby achieving his career-best ranking.
With the likes of Kei Nishikori, world number 23, and reigning ATP NextGen champion Hyeon Chung giving the Games a miss, Ramanathan will be among the top seeds in a field that is expected to be led by world number 76 Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan.
Prajnesh is heading into the tournament on the back of some impressive performances. The 28-year-old nearly missed out on a French Open main round berth but made it count on grass, beating Canada's higher-ranked Denis Shapovalov in Stuttgart.
Fit-again Bopanna and Divij lead likely to be top seeds
In the men's doubles category, world number 38 Divij Sharan, who is expected to pair up with former French Open champion Rohan Bopanna, will be the country's biggest bets for a medal.
Divij, the elegant southpaw, had reached the Wimbledon quarter-final with Artem Sitak. He is heading into the tournament on the back of a quarter-final appearance at Citi Open earlier this month.
Veteran Leander Paes, one of the most successful players at the Games, is once again in the fray for a medal despite the passing years.
The 45-year-old may pair with either Ramkumar or Nagal and the combination will be decided days before the event, according to the captain of the contingent, Zeeshan Ali.
In the absence of Sania, there is little hope from the mixed doubles unit.
World number 187 Ankita Raina has been in fine form but she has to be at her best to finish on the podium at the Games, given the presence of top stars from Asia, including the likes of defending champion Qiang Wang and Shuai Zhang.
India tennis contingent for Asian Games 2018
Men: Ramkumar Ramanathan, Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Sumit Nagal, Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan.
Women: Ankita Raina, Karman Kaur Thandi, Rutuja Bhosale, Riya Bhatia, Prarthana Thombare, Pranjala Yadlapalli.
