At the Australian Open quarter-finals, 43-year-old Rohan Bopanna achieved the top spot in men’s doubles rankings by winning with partner Matt Ebden. This makes him the oldest player to reach No 1.
On Wednesday at Melbourne Park, the Indian-Australian team emerged victorious over the Argentine team of Máximo González and Andrés Molteni with a score of 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in the quarter-finals. However, the match had to be relocated due to bubbles on court three.
Bopanna stated that achieving the rank of number one at 43 years old will have a significant influence worldwide.
“He believes this will serve as an inspiration not only to tennis players but also to people all over the world who are 40 years old and above, in a unique and impactful manner.”
According to the International Tennis Federation, the previous oldest man to hold the No 1 spot in men’s doubles was Mike Bryan at 41 years and 76 days until his tenure ended in 2019.
At the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday, Bopanna’s age will be 43 years and 330 days.
In 2012, Lisa Raymond retired from her position as the top-ranked women’s doubles player at the age of 39, making her the oldest player to hold this title.
Serena Williams, at the age of 35, holds the title of oldest female to achieve a No 1 ranking in singles. It is possible that Novak Djokovic could surpass Federer’s record for men’s singles, which was set at the age of 36, this year.
In 2018, David Wagner held the top spot in the quad wheelchair rankings at the age of 44.
Bopanna and Ebden both have an equal amount of points in their rankings, but Bopanna will be considered the top-ranked player since Ebden has participated in three additional tournaments during this time period.
Bopanna stated that achieving the top ranking had always been a goal of his, and he gave credit to Ebden for helping him climb the rankings.
He stated that both Matt and himself have the same number of points, so he believes they should be tied for first place.
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In late 2022, they reunited after their former partners decided to pursue different career paths. Bopanna stated that they had limited choices during that period.
When searching for a new teammate, Ebden stated that the number of possible players is limited.
“He plays on the deuce [right side of the court], I played on the ad [left side], we’ve known each other for a long time, we thought our games could complement each other well, so we thought ‘let’s have a go,” he said.
Scott Davidoff, the coach for Bopanna since 2005, has been dedicated to working with him for 12 years. According to Davidoff, their bond goes beyond just tennis as they consistently support each other. Achieving the No 1 ranking is a significant accomplishment for the pair.
Today is filled with emotions, but we have even more things to anticipate tomorrow.
In 2022, Ebden and Max Purcell became the champions of the Wimbledon men’s doubles tournament. Bopanna has won the mixed doubles title at the 2017 French Open, but has yet to achieve his first men’s doubles grand slam victory.
On Thursday, the duo will face off against Tomas Machac and Zhizhen Zhang in the semi-final round.
