Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna, partnering with Australian Matthew Ebden, clinched a spot in the Australian Open 2024 men’s doubles final, a remarkable achievement marking his consecutive presence in a Grand Slam final. At 43, he broke his own record as the oldest man to reach this stage.
Bopanna’s potential ascent to the world No. 1 men’s doubles player position at 43 would surpass tennis legends Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza. This achievement also eclipsed Rajeev Ram’s record, making him the oldest men’s doubles player to reach world No. 1 in the ATP Rankings. His partner, Ebden, rose to the No. 2 position in the men’s doubles rankings.
In the semi-finals, the Indo-Australian duo overcame the unseeded pair of Tomas Machac and Zhizhen Zhang with a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) win. The duo awaits a match against either Italy’s Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli or Germany’s Yanick Hanfmann and Dominik Koepfer on January 28.
The All India Tennis Association lauded Bopanna, emphasizing his resilience and passion for the game. Bopanna’s journey to the Australian Open Men’s Doubles final follows his back-to-back Grand Slam final appearances, including the 2023 US Open.
