Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna achieved a historic milestone at the Australian Open 2024, advancing to the men’s doubles semi-finals and securing the No. 1 ranking in the world. Partnered with Matthew Ebden, the duo secured a straight-sets victory over the Argentine pair of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni on Wednesday.
At the age of 43, Bopanna is set to become the oldest player in tennis history to claim the top spot in men’s doubles rankings when the updated rankings are released. This remarkable achievement follows less than a year after he became the oldest man to qualify for a Grand Slam final in the Open era, where he and Ebden reached the US Open 2023 final. Bopanna had made his debut in professional tennis over two decades ago.
BOPANNA TO BECOME WORLD NO 1 FOR THE FIRST TIME AT AGE 43@rohanbopanna will reach the rankings summit as he moves into the SF of the Australian Open pic.twitter.com/4ne80n0qZ7
— Indian Tennis Daily (ITD) (@IndTennisDaily) January 24, 2024
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Entering the Australian Open with a career-high ranking of No. 3, Bopanna’s journey to the semi-finals ensures his elevation to the coveted No. 1 position. His doubles partner, Matthew Ebden, is also set to secure the No. 2 spot in the men’s doubles rankings.
In a significant breakthrough, Bopanna reached the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time in 17 attempts. The Indo-Australian pair secured a comfortable 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over the sixth-seeded Argentine duo in the quarterfinals, lasting an hour and 46 minutes.
The 43-year-old Bopanna and Ebden are now poised to face unseeded Tomas Machac and Zhizhen Zhang in the semi-finals.
Previously, Rajeev Ram of the USA held the record as the oldest player to be ranked world No. 1 at the age of 38 in October 2022. Bopanna’s ascent to the top position will see him surpass USA’s Austin Krajicek.
Bopanna, who reached world No. 3 for the first time in 2013, joins the esteemed company of Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza as the fourth Indian to achieve the world No. 1 rank in doubles.
Despite finishing as a runner-up twice in men’s doubles at the US Open in 2010 and 2023, Bopanna’s historic feat last year made him the oldest-ever Grand Slam finalist. Additionally, he holds the distinction of being the oldest player to claim a men’s doubles title at a Masters 1000 event, achieved alongside Ebden at the age of 43 in the prestigious Indian Wells tournament.