EXCLUSIVE | 'Extremely happy and proud': Rohan Bopanna opens up on historic World No 1 ranking

India’s Rohan Bopanna could script history at Melbourne Park on Saturday (Jan 27) as he bids to win the Australian Open 2024 Men’s doubles titles. Now the oldest World No. 1, Bopanna could become the oldest player (singles or doubles) to win a Grand Slam title if he along with his Aussie partner Matthew Ebden beat the Italian pairing of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the Australian Open final. Ahead of what could be a historic final, Bopanna spoke exclusively to WION and opened up on his way to success at the Australian Open and the challenges faced before becoming the World No 1.

Bopanna speaks to WION

“Extremely happy and proud to have achieved the number ranking in doubles. It has always been my goal to be number one but did not thought that it will come at this time in my career. It was a realistic goal for Matthew Ebden and for me after 2023 and when we decided to continue our partnership our main focus was to have a better January compared to last year where we had lost in the first rounds in Adelaide and Brisbane. It is amazing to have achieved this ranking and to be honest, it is still sinking,” Bopanna said while speaking to WION’s Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo on Thursday (Jan 25).

Boppana opens up on his recent experience

Question: How difficult was it for you to prepare for this next match this morning provided there were so many wishes?

Answer: Yes, definitely it was very different as not often, or maybe the first time in my career that so many messages came pouring and it was overwhelming. What makes it special is today I was playing the semi-final and yet I was trying to reply to as many messages as I can but also had to make sure that I got my beauty sleep to get ready for today’s match.

The upcoming match against Zhang Zhizhen and Tomas Machac was going to be tough and we had to be prepared.

Question: This is your 61st appearance at the Men’s Grand Slam doubles tournament, how desperate are you to pocket your first title?

Answer: I am not at all desperate to as this is a personal goal, the biggest thing is I am extremely happy to be in a state where I am able to compete for a Grand Slam title. As you mentioned this is my 61st Grand Slam appearance but just a third men’s doubles final and this occasion does not come that often so I am excited to put myself in a place where I can give a shot at the title and win it.

Question: How do you prepare for a Grand Slam final and have you played Italian Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori before?

Answer: To start with Bolelli, I have played him a few times but with Vavassori I have played him once at the US Open. However, in a teams event I haven’t played against them I don’t think even Matthew Ebden has played them. If anyone is playing in the final they are assumed to have played good tennis and I hope it will be a tough match and we can hope it can be a very good match. Bolelli is a past champion at the Australian Open and he knows the conditions.

I am really looking forward to this final on Saturday because I think we are playing some good tennis this entire fortnight.

Question: We listened to your media conference and you said, ‘India needed this’ but don’t you think it is painful for you as there is no assembly line after you having raised the bar since 1997?

Answer: It does not pain me but it is a second life or a second win for Indian tennis as I feel the tennis has gotten lost in recent times. With Summit Nagal qualifying and reaching the second round here at the Australian Open and a lot of other guys qualifying for the main draws for the Grand Slam and me taking the number one is a new life to Indian tennis.

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Sports needs inspiration and we should really take this year to build tennis again and get a lot of kids interested in tennis yet again.

Question: You had a bad time during the Covid-19 pandemic when you missed out on playing at the Olympics, so what was the motivation for you to not give up during a tough period?

Answer: My perseverance is my biggest strength and I think it is something that I have trusted and have constantly been at it no matter at what junction I am at. There was a period in 2021 where I went four months without winning a match and I thought it could be the end of my career. Communicating with myself and energy to enjoy the game and also be happy with all these years of playing helped me overcome the period.

Instead of focusing on how I needed to win this match and what I needed to do to improve my ranking, I was enjoying the moment. Once those things changed the self-belief was also regained and this is when I started enjoying competing yet again.

On Thursday, Bopanna and squash player Joshna Chinappa were among six sportspersons named for the Padma Shri award for 2024 by the Indian government.