Rohan Bopanna is making history as he becomes the oldest No.1 in Men’s Doubles at age 43. After he and his partner Matthew Ebden defeated Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni at the Australian Open on Wednesday, Bopanna will be No.1 when he plays at the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings next Monday. According to ATP, a streak of incredible performances in several matches is the reason Bopanna will leapfrog World No. 1 Austin Krajicek and No. 2 Ivan Dodig for the top spot.
Bopanna currently has the same points as his partner Ebden for the Pepperstone ATP Doubles’ Rankings, but because he has played three fewer tournaments to earn those points, it earned him the No.1 spot.
“I think for every player out there, it is a dream,” Bopanna said of his milestone per atptour.com. “It was my dream, and more so when you’re playing the sport for a couple of decades. Then now at this juncture for me to get to world No. 1, I think my perseverance to the sport, to stay in it and to keep fighting and to keep working hard, and have such a great partner by my side — I think the consistent year we had last year is why… This helped me get to this stage.”
Interestingly, though the 43-year-old is originally from India, he had not engaged in the practice of yoga until the pandemic. Now he greatly attributes the practice of Iyengar yoga to his well-being and success. He practiced it four times a week for 90 minutes at a local studio near his home according to CNN.
“[It] always was there in India, but I never really tried it. I just thought it was something I wouldn’t enjoy so much,” mentioned Bopanna via CNN on his experience since taking up the practice. “That actually tremendously made a huge, huge difference… yoga in a way not only strengthens my legs, my body, but also I think made me calmer on the tennis court,”.
Boponna stated he has received a lot of love from fans, and he can’t wait to reflect on the moment that earned him his current rank, but for now, he is very proud to be the “No. 1 player in the world.”
