Rohan Bopanna Makes Tennis History: Oldest No. 1 Player at 43

Melbourne: Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna scripted history at the Australian Open 2024 by becoming the oldest player to attain the No. 1 ranking in men’s doubles. Bopanna, 43, and his partner Matthew Ebden secured a spot in the semi-finals after defeating the Argentine pair of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in straight sets during Wednesday’s quarter-final clash.

The victory ensures that when the rankings are updated next week, Bopanna will officially hold the top spot, making him the oldest player to achieve this milestone in tennis history. This remarkable feat comes less than a year after Bopanna became the oldest man to qualify for a Grand Slam final in the Open era, reaching the US Open 2023 final alongside partner Ebden.

Entering the Australian Open with a career-high ranking of No. 3, Bopanna’s journey to the semi-finals guarantees his ascent to the No. 1 position. His men’s doubles partner, Matthew Ebden, is set to secure the No. 2 spot in the men’s doubles rankings.

In a career spanning over two decades, Bopanna has had an illustrious journey, marked by dedication and resilience. The semi-final entry at the Australian Open was a breakthrough for Bopanna, who had previously made 17 attempts at this stage of the competition.

In the quarterfinals, the second-seeded Indo-Australian pair outplayed the sixth-seeded Argentinian duo of Máximo González and Andrés Molteni with a comfortable 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory, lasting an hour and 46 minutes. The duo is now set to face unseeded Tomas Machac and Zhizhen Zhang in the semi-finals.

Bopanna’s achievement surpasses the previous record held by Rajeev Ram of the USA, who became the world No. 1 at the age of 38 in October 2022. Joining the ranks of Indian tennis legends Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza, Bopanna becomes the fourth Indian to attain the coveted No. 1 rank in doubles.

Having previously reached the summit in mixed doubles, winning the French Open title in 2017 with Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski, Bopanna had narrowly missed men’s doubles titles, finishing as a runner-up twice at the US Open in 2010 and 2023.

His triumph at the US Open last year also marked him as the oldest-ever Grand Slam finalist, and Bopanna holds the distinction of being the oldest player to claim a men’s doubles title at a Masters 1000 event, securing the Indian Wells tournament alongside Ebden in 2023.