Rohan Bopanna came through as an Indian, winning one of the Grand Slam titles after a long hiatus. And, he has done this at a very ripe age of 43 years. Full marks to an incredible journey, that was somewhat faltering a few years ago when he ran into a rough patch, not winning any title for a long enough time to make him wonder if he should continue. These are moments of self-doubt, depression, and indecision. A nation fondly recalls how this was not to be. He decided to carry on some more, and indeed, he did well for himself and for India, to do so. This time, won the Australian Open doubles title, after having won some 24 ATP titles before in his career.
Earlier on, his high points among others, have been reaching the US Open Final in 2010; winning the French Open mixed doubles title in 2017; winning the Gold in men’s doubles and Silver in mixed doubles at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 in Delhi.
In a social media chat, Bopanna dismissed concerns around age, saying when you change limitations to opportunities, everything happens.
Said Billie Jean King, a tennis champ with 39 Grand Slam titles, said it is never too late to chase your dreams.
From a happy and proud 1.4 billion Indians, heartiest congratulations, Rohan!
Among his many other achievements is the setting up of the Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy. An academy with an international standard curriculum enabling high performance and grassroot development of the sport. It has brought about a refreshing new dimension to tennis coaching in India. Focused on enabling holistic development of athletes, it was established in March 2016, offering access to a progressive tennis coaching program. With professional coaches overseeing the program and special inputs from globally qualified fitness trainers, RBTA introduces a balanced curriculum – with equal emphasis on fitness and sports skills for young children looking to play tennis.
And by sheer stroke of good luck, came the announcement of a Padma Shri to Bopanna, a fitting honour on a very special occasion.
