Thiruvananthapuram: Rohan Bopanna, at the age of 43, made history by clinching the Australian Open 2024 title. This victory not only marked his first major title but also propelled him to the world No. 1 ranking, making him the oldest Indian player to achieve this milestone. Bopanna’s achievement is a remarkable feat, establishing him as the first oldest Indian player, hailing from Bengaluru, to accomplish this achievement in the world of tennis.
Bharat’s Rohan Bopanna secured this title alongside his Australian partner, Matthew Ebden. The duo defeated the Italian pair of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori with a scoreline of 7(7)-6(0), 7-5 in an exciting match held at the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park, on Saturday.
Bopanna made his debut in the world of ITF Junior tournaments at the Bharat ITF Junior World Ranking event in 1996. During his first appearance, he secured a victory in the singles first round, defeating Girish Ramchandani in straight sets. However, he faced a setback in the subsequent match, losing to Yeni Sandeep in straight sets. In the doubles event, he teamed up with Akshay Jagdale, but they were defeated in straight sets by the pair of Harsh Mankad and Rishi Sridhar.
Bopanna’s fellow countryman, Leander Paes, was the previous oldest Indian to clinch a Grand Slam title. Paes achieved this milestone at the age of 40, winning the 2013 US Open alongside the Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek.
Post-match, Bopanna addressed the crowd at Rod Laver Arena says “ you definitely got to know how old I am , I’ve changed it a bit, I say I’m at level 43, not age 43 now!”
Bopanna and Ebden will top the rankings next week and become the oldest No.1 pairing in Tennis history.
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