India’s Rohan Bopanna Makes History at Australian Open, Becomes Oldest Grand Slam Doubles Champion at 43

Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna has made history at the 2024 Australian Open by clinching the men’s doubles title at the Rod Laver Arena with his Australian partner, Matthew Ebden, on Saturday, January 27. The duo triumphed over the Italian team of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori with a score of 7-6, 7-5, marking Bopanna’s first men’s doubles Grand Slam title. At 43, Bopanna has become the oldest player to win a Grand Slam title. His victory in this event adds to his 2017 French Open mixed doubles championship.

Bopanna’s historical achievement came in his 61st Grand Slam doubles appearance and was solidified by securing the World No.1 ranking earlier in the week. The final match, lasting nearly 100 minutes, saw Bopanna and Ebden exhibit a high level of skill, maintaining their serve throughout the match.

The first set was a tightly contested battle, leading to a tiebreaker as neither team gave up their serve. Bopanna and Ebden excelled in the tiebreaker, winning it decisively. The second set also saw a close competition, but Bopanna and Ebden managed a crucial break of serve and maintained their lead to eventually clinch the championship.

Prior to this victory, Bopanna’s only Grand Slam title was the 2017 French Open mixed doubles with Gabriela Dabrowski. In recent years, Bopanna has enjoyed considerable success, including reaching the US Open Men’s doubles final and the Wimbledon semifinals.

In the 2023 Australian Open, Bopanna was a runner-up in the mixed doubles category with Sania Mirza, which marked Mirza’s retirement from the sport. Bopanna also set a record at the 2023 ATP Finals alongside Ebden, becoming the oldest player to win a match at the event and reaching the semifinals.

Furthermore, Bopanna was recently honored by the Indian government, being named one of the six sportspersons to receive the prestigious Padma Shri award for 2024.