Australian Open 2024: New doubles No.1 Rohan Bopanna credits composure, ‘Iyengar’ yoga, focus on recovery for reaching summit at age 43

At the end of the 2022 season, with Rohan Bopanna well into his forties with his career seemingly having seen its peak, there were not many options left in the locker room for the doubles veteran to pick a partner. As he puts it, the collaboration with Australia’s Matthew Ebden, at a similar crossroads in his career, was born out of both necessity and a mutual connection.

The duo became an instant hit, not only revitalising their careers, but also taking each other to the summit of the sport. On Wednesday, after their straight-sets win over the sixth-seeded Argentinian pair of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, Bopanna became the oldest World No.1 in history at the age of 43, taking the top spot in the men’s doubles rankings for the first time in his career. Ebden will be right behind him with the same number of ranking points but fewer tournaments played, when the updated list appears on Monday.

The duo’s latest achievements follow a landmark 2023, when they won the Indian Wells Masters and reached four other Masters finals, culminating in the US Open final they lost despite leading by a set.

Bopanna-Ebden may not be the most typical of pairings, but where their playing styles are most complementary, according to the man from Coorg, is the laid-back composure with which they handle pressure situations.

Age is just a number but ‘Number 1’ is not just another number.

Congratulations Rohan! Being the oldest World Number 1 in Men’s Doubles is a stellar feat. #AusOpen #AO2024 pic.twitter.com/5rEBxdl1km

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 24, 2024

“The biggest strength is that both of us are very calm on court, no matter what the situation is. That comes in with a lot of experience, He’s (Ebden) been playing a long time, competing at a high level and winning Grand Slams,” Bopanna told reporters from Melbourne on Tuesday. “He understands the value of the right kind of strategy for these kinds of matches. We have been able to combine our mental strengths to win tough, close matches.”

And true to form in their latest match at least, the Indo-Australian duo never buckled under pressure in their nearly two-hour-long win that was trickier than the scoreline suggested. It was a fleeting opportunity in the fifth game of the first set on Gonzalez’s serve when they found the break. From there, they looked unfazed, suffering just one break point for the rest of the match, consistently applying pressure on their opponents’ serves even if they could not fashion another break, and not buckling during the second-set tiebreaker to round out the 6-4, 7-6 (5) win.

Keeping at it

Bopanna would become the fourth Indian – after Sania Mirza, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi – to become doubles World No.1.

“Extremely proud of the fact that I have been able to complete my dream,” Bopanna would later say. “It has been a little over a decade since I was World No.3. So truly proud to have made it happen.”

Age is just a number & no one proves it better than Bopsy😍🥳

Update: #Tennis #AustraliaOpen🎾

At 4⃣3⃣, our seasoned #TOPSchemeAthlete @rohanbopanna is rewriting the history books and smashing stereotypes on the court. The legend teamed up with his long time Aussie 🇦🇺 partner… pic.twitter.com/bXsXDLNUC1

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) January 24, 2024

The Indian, a veteran of more than 40 Davis Cup ties, is full of pride that most of his achievements these days are prefixed with the word ‘oldest’.

“Nobody reaches the World No.1 ranking without consistency. It’s not an overnight achievement. It always comes after successive tournaments, doing well week in, week out. That’s what I was able to do in 2023,” he said.

Bopanna says his late-career resurgence, aided by an adoption of ‘Iyengar’ yoga and dedicated focus on recovery, has led to more consistent results than he has ever had in his career.

“You need to be disciplined as an athlete,” the 43-year-old said. “For example, the first day I landed in Australia was January 4. Since then, till today, every single day I have gone and taken an ice bath, whether it is after practice or a match or whatever. Because at my age, recovery is a major aspect before anything else comes into play. Having access to these things, to physios, the improvements in sports science, all have made a massive difference in my career.”

World No.1 ranking in tow, Bopanna will qualify for the Paris Olympics if he keeps his place in the top 10 of the rankings over the next six months, ensuring Indian representation in tennis at the Summer Games that seems unlikely otherwise.

• England cricketer Shoaib Bashir granted visa: MEA sources
• India vs England: Can Gill and Iyer fill the Virat-void?
• 'Indian tennis needed this': Rohan Bopanna to become oldest World No 1 at 43 after reaching Australian Open semis

But first, the aim is to win a first men’s doubles Grand Slam title. He won the mixed doubles crown at the 2017 French Open, and reached two US Open men’s doubles finals, 13 years apart, in 2010 and 2023, but it is an achievement that has eluded him.

Ebden and Bopanna take on China’s Zhang Zhizhen and Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac in the semifinals on Thursday.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.