Rohan Bopanna becomes oldest player to reach men’s doubles No 1

i: Doubles specialist Rohan Bopanna scaled a new peak on Wednesday as he entered the semi-finals of the Australian Open with partner Matthew Ebden. The Indian-Australian duo overcame Molteni Andres and Maximo Gonzalez 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), which ensures the Indian will be ranked World No.1 in doubles when the new ranking comes out on Monday.

For someone who has played selfless tennis for the nation and himself, Bopanna has already made history by winning 501 international matches till now. “I was not sure about the records, I thought a day earlier I was in line for the 500th win,” said a modest Bopanna.

At the age of 43, Bopanna has been relishing his tennis. Even though he has retired from Davis Cup play, he is keen to play for India in the Paris Olympics as well as a professional on the ATP Tour and Grand Slams. This is his 15th appearance at the Australian Open, no mean record.

“When I started playing tennis, these records never came to my mind,” said Bopanna. Now that he is making waves in the tennis world, the Indian champion is enjoying all the attention.

Back to the match on Wednesday in Melbourne, conditions were indeed hot and harsh. Yet, Bopanna and Ebden, an Aussie, played great tennis to show power, consistency in serves and net play.

Bopanna and Ebden played the big points well, which was highlighted in the second set tie-break.

The key was to handle the pressure well. “I may not have speed like before but certainly am up there in terms of mental strength,” said Bopanna. In addition, Bopanna and Ebden back each other, something so important in doubles play.

Since the time Bopanna won a gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year with Rutuja Bhosale, he has been closely thinking about doing well in the Paris Olympics this year. “I do not need to worry about rankings,” he said earlier. A Top 10 position till the cut-off date till the deadline before the Paris Olympics will allow him to choose his partner as well.

The match stats on Wednesday were revealing, Bopanna and his partner were serving big in the Melbourne heat, the aces and first serve percentage simply at an incredible high.

Nine aces, winning 84 per cent on first serve, it speaks about their dominance. That Bopanna and his partner smashed 26 winners was proof how they are in rip-roaring form.

Asked about his journey spread over 25 years as a tennis professional, Bopanna is modest. He is not the first Indian to get to this magical World No.1 ranking. Before this, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza were also World No.1 in doubles individual rankings.

Both Mahesh and Sania Mirza congratulated Rohan Bopanna on his feat. Both said none better than Rohan deserved this honour. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as well as other athletes also praised Rohan Bopanna for scaling a big peak at this stage in his career. “I am playing my best tennis and enjoying it,” said Bopanna.