"Wanted To Stop But I Had Good People Around Me": Rohan Bopanna On Australian Open Triumph
Rohan Bopanna admitted that he had doubts about his career but the people around him ensured that he didn't stop after a bad phase.
Newly crowned World No. 1 player in men's doubles tennis, Rohan Bopanna made history as he became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title, clinching the Australian Open 2024 with partner Matthew Ebden on Saturday. Rohan has had to wait for a long time for his maiden Men's Doubles title, and there were times in his life where he wanted to stop. But, the 42-year-old had some fine people around him who continued to push him in the pursuit of his dream.
"It's been a proud moment, incredible. It was just all that weight lifted off of the shoulder. The body automatically fell to the ground when we finished the match point. It was a huge relief in terms of personal goal. I've been trying to achieve this for a long time. The biggest this is that I never really gave up. There have been times when I wanted to stop but I had good people around me who made sure that stopping at tough times is not really the right way to go about it.Â
"I really thank my wife Supriya and my coach for being by my side and helping me in that journey. Today, the victory is as much there's as it is mine," Bopanna said in an interview with NDTV.
When asked if this was the best week of his career, Bopanna had no hesitation in admitting that it indeed was.
"Getting the No. 1 ranking, winning a Grand Slam, everything is falling in line this week. I always thought maybe the 4th of March, being my birthday, is my favourite month of the year, but clearly, January is my favourite month of the year. It's been absolutely amazing and it is even better to have a partner like Matthew Ebden by my side. Since last year, the consistency we had, helped us reach here," he said.
In the summit clash at the Australian Open, Bopanna and Ebden dominated on serve throughout the one-hour, 40-minute match, winning 80 percent (40/50) of the games with their first delivery. The Indo-Australian duo did not face a break point to top off a fantastic week that saw them clinching World No. 1 and World No. 2 rankings.
The duo defeated Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in straight sets 7-6, 7-5 in a pulsating clash.