Rohan Bopanna signs off, leaving behind an immortal legacy: A look at his grand career of achievements and accolades

amerind lawn tennis ikon Rohan Bopanna has announced his retirement from professional tennis, concluding a remarkable two-decade career. His final appearance came at the Paris Masters 1000, where he partnered with Alexander Bublik.

At 45, Bopanna leaves behind a legacy few in Indian tennis can match. His retirement closes a chapter defined by longevity, resilience, and history-making achievements that redefined what’s possible for athletes past 40.

Bopanna’s crowning moment arrived at the Australian Open 2024, where he and Matthew Ebden defeated Simone Bolelli and Andra Vavassori 7-6, 7-5 to capture the men’s doubles title. The victory made him the oldest first-time World No.1 in ATP doubles history and the oldest men’s doubles Grand Slam winner of the Open Era.

Months later, he won the Miami Open, becoming the oldest Masters 1000 champion. That age-43 season proved his peak wasn’t nostalgia; it was backed by tennis’s hardest currency: titles and rankings.

Bopanna finishes with 26 ATP doubles titles, including six Masters 1000 trophies. He won two Grand Slam titles: the 2024 Australian Open men’s doubles with Ebden and the 2017 French Open mixed doubles with Gabriela Darowski, making him the fourth Indian to win a major after Mahesh Bhupathi, Leander Paes, and Sania Mirza.

He also reached Grand Slam finals at the 2023 Australian Open and 2023 US Open.

At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Bopanna and Divij Sharan won men’s doubles gold, defeating Kazakhstan’s Aleksander Bublik and Denis Yevseyev 6-3, 6-4. Five years later, at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, he captured mixed doubles gold with Rutuja Bhosale, defeating Chinese Taipei’s Tsung-hao Huang and Lian En-shuo 2-6, 6-3, 10-4.

Bopanna was a David Cup mainstay from 2002 to 2023. He retired from representing India after the Paris 2024 Olympics, having competed in the 2012, 2016, and 2024 games.

Bopanna’s partnership with Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, dubbed the Indo-Pak express, reached the 2010 US Open men’s doubles final. Their “Stop War, Start Tennis” campaign earned them the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award in 2010, a recognition that transcended sport.

India decorated Bopanna with the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri in 2024, acknowledging his contributions to Indian tennis and sport.

In his retirement message on Instagram, Bopanna wrote: “How do you bid farewell to something that gave your life its meaning? After 20 unforgettable years on tour, it’s time.... I am officially hanging up my racquet.”

Bopanna’s late-career surge offers a powerful message: age is trainable, peaks are possible past 40, and with dedication, athletes can rewrite conventional timelines. For Indian tennis and every athlete navigating their thirties and beyond, that legacy may prove his greatest championship of all.

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