Australian Open: Rohan Bopanna defeated retirement idea to reach doubles final

Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna defied all odds to reach the men’s doubles final of the Australian Open at the Rod Laver Arena.

Bopanna and his partner Matthew Ebden defeated the duo of Zhang Zhizhen, Tomas Machac 6-3 3-6 7(10)-6(7) in a closely fought semifinal to enter the summit clash.

With the splendid victory, Bopanna has got another opportunity to win a Grand Slam title. He has reached the US Open final twice in 2013 and 2023. However, a Major trophy still awaits for him in his career and he is already 43-years-old. Ausralia Open 2024 could be the perfect occasion for him to win a Grand Slam title.

Bopanna and his partner Ebden will lock horns with Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the men’s doubles final. With the semifinal win, the Indian tennis star has become the new World No. 1 in men’s doubles. He has also become the oldest player to claim the position for the first time in his career.

“At the end of 2019, I was thinking about stopping because my knees were in extreme pain, I was on 2-3 painkillers a day. In 2021, I did not even win a match for the first five months of the year. These thoughts have crossed my mind,” said Bopanna during an interview.

“As a tennis player, you think sometimes the journey is done and you don’t know what is next. The biggest thing for me is I found new ways to persevere, challenge myself and really give it another shot. I am thankful that I stuck to my instinct and believed in myself. That really shows why today I have been able to achieve this,” he added.