In a landmark moment for Indian tennis, Rohan Bopanna has etched his name in history by becoming the oldest first-time world no. 1 in men’s doubles tennis. This milestone was reached after Bopanna and his partner Matthew Ebden secured a place in the Australian Open 2024 men’s doubles semi-final by defeating Argentina’s Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.
Entering the tournament with a career-high ranking of world no. 3, Bopanna expressed his gratitude and acknowledged the significance of this achievement for both India and Indian tennis.
“Thank you so much; it’s been an incredible 20 years playing this tournament week in, week out. Reaching the No. 1 ranking today is an extremely amazing and proud feeling. It probably hasn’t sunk in fully yet, but credit to the entire team, especially the family, coach, physio, and everyone behind the scenes who play such a hugely important role and always keep me positive,” shared Bopanna after the quarter-final match, giving credit to his partner, Matt Ebden.
Expressing his gratitude to fans for their unwavering support over the last two decades, Bopanna emphasized that this achievement was his way of giving back to the country and the sport.
“These last 13 months have been an incredibly consistent kind of year. I am proud to be where I am today, at the ranking of no. 1. So, India needed this, Indian tennis needed this. I am really happy to be representing India across the world in this tennis journey. There’s so much love and support from the entire country for two decades. I am thankful for all the support. I think, this is from my side, giving back to everyone in India. Thank you,” he concluded.
Looking ahead, Bopanna and Ebden are set to face China’s Zhizhen Zhang and Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac in the semi-finals on Thursday, aiming to secure their place in the final.