At 43 years old, Rohan Bopanna of India advanced to the Australian Open semifinals on Wednesday, making him the oldest No. 1 in men’s doubles history.
Bopanna went professional more than 20 years ago; he credits yoga for his longevity. In 2013, he achieved his previous best ranking of third.
Bopanna will top the new rankings when they are released on Monday after their victory on Wednesday over Argentine duo Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni with Australian partner Matthew Ebden.
Bopanna expressed his thoughts about it and said: “If a 40-plus-year-old can do this, that is an inspiration. As a tennis player, sometimes you think that the journey is done. I stuck to my instincts and believed in myself.”
Bopanna stated that he had lost all knee cartilage as a result of the physical toll his lengthy career had taken. However, he claimed that his consistent yoga practice had given him the mental and physical fortitude required to continue competing at the highest level.
He added: “Every single morning I do a lot of yoga and a lot of meditation. My mind doesn’t feel rushed.”
🇮🇳 Rohan Bopanna becomes the oldest player to reach men’s doubles world No. 1️⃣ at 43 👏 pic.twitter.com/uvfCF0B3t9
— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 24, 2024
Rohan Bopanna in 2024
Ranked world no., Bopanna played his last match on the 20th of February 2021 when he was defeated by world no.35 Christopher Eubanks 6-3 6-4 in the qualifications in Singapore (draw).
Currently, during this season Rohan achieved a composed 0-1 win-loss record.
