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File photo of Sania Mirza (left) and Rohan Bopanna.© X (formerly Twitter)
Former Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza praised her former teammate Rohan Bopanna after the star player won the Australian Open 2024 men’s doubles title. Bopanna on Saturday rewrote the history books by becoming the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title. He also became the oldest number one in men’s doubles history with his victory in Melbourne. The 43-year-old had been paired with Matthew Ebden. The second seeds cruised to a 7-6 (7/0), 7-5 victory over unseeded Italian pair Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori on the Rod Laver Arena.
Moved by the feats, Sania said she is most proud of Bopanna as a friend.
“We said this at the beginning of last week, what if he becomes the men’s No. 1 in the world and wins the men’s doubles title? He has done it and we are speechless. We couldn’t be prouder, as an Indian, but more like a friend,” Sania told Sony Sports Network as quoted by India today.
It is the first time Bopanna has won a major title, after losing in the US Open finals in 2010 and 2023.
In the summit clash, Bopanna and Ebden dominated on serve throughout the one hour and 40 minute match, winning 80 percent (40/50) of their games on their first serve and without facing a break point to cap a week fantastic.
The 43-year-old is the third Indian in the Open Era to win a major men’s doubles title, after Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. On Monday he will become the oldest player in the ATP doubles rankings.
This was Bopanna’s second Grand Slam win, the first in men’s doubles. Her previous Grand Slam victory was in mixed doubles with Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski at the 2017 French Open.
(With ANI inputs)
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