After 500 victories in his professional career, Bopanna became the oldest World No. 1 in doubles. He then won in the Australian Open after winning the esteemed Padma Shri.
Digital Desk: Following Rohan Bopanna's victory in the men's doubles championship at the Australian Open, former tennis player Sania Mirza heaped the player with praise. Bopanna, 43, became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era on Saturday, January 27.
Bopanna and Matthew Ebden beat Italy’s Simone Boleli and Andrea Vavassori 7-6 (7-0), 7-5 at the Rod Laver Arena. It was just one of the numerous blessings that Bopanna experienced.
After 500 victories in his professional career, Bopanna became the oldest World No. 1 in doubles. He then won in the Australian Open after winning the esteemed Padma Shri.
Speechless Sania Mirza
Speaking about the seasoned player, Sania, who competed with Bopanna in her final Grand Slam match at the 2023 Australian Open mixed doubles, felt pride.
"What if he wins the men's doubles championship and rises to the top of the global rankings? That was our question at the start of last week. We couldn't speak once he accomplished it. As Indians and as friends, we could not be more pleased," Sania said to Sony Sports Network.
Bopanna was praised by former celebrity Somdev Devvarman for his willingness to make difficult sacrifices to advance in his career.
“Enough good things cannot be said about this man. This is the culmination of the sacrifices that he has put in,” Devvarman said.
The first set of their match against the Italian pair was a grind for Bopanna and Ebden. The India-Australian duo imposed terms during the tiebreaker that followed the set.
In the second set, Bopanna and Ebden turned the tide of the match with a vital break of service at 5-5. In order to move the set into a tie-breaker, Boleli and Vavassori needed to earn a break, but that did not happen.
After defeating Gabriela Dabrowski and the French Open mixed doubles in 2017, Bopanna also claimed his second Grand Slam victory.
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