2024-01-30 03:36:37
30 January 2024, 09:06 AM IST
Photo: AP
London: Indian player Rohan Bopanna has officially achieved the historic achievement of becoming the oldest male player to reach the first position in the tennis rankings after the updated ATP rankings were announced on Monday. In the recent Australian Open, the 43-year-old Bopanna had secured the first rank after entering the semi-finals by defeating Argentina’s Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the men’s doubles quarter with Australian player Matthew Ebden. But there was still a week left to update the ranking. With the announcement of the updated ranking on Monday, Bopanna has officially become the number one.
America’s Rajeev Ram holds the record for being the oldest player to reach the top spot in the rankings. In October 2022, at the age of 38, Rajeev will reach the top spot for the first time in his career. Bopanna has now surpassed this record.
After winning the Australian Open doubles title, Bopanna has now reached the first rank. With the title, Bopanna also became the oldest male player to win a Grand Slam in the Open era (since 1968). This was Bopanna’s second career Grand Slam and first men’s doubles Grand Slam. The first was the 2017 French Open mixed doubles title with Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski.
Bopanna is the third Indian to win the men’s doubles Grand Slam title. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are Indians who have won Grand Slam titles before this. Sania Mirza also has a doubles title.
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