There is no stopping Rohan Bopanna. The tennis icon will soon become the oldest player to reach the number-one ranking in men’s doubles. India’s Bopanna and his double partner Matthew Ebden have punched their tickets for the semi-final stage of the Australian Open 2024. The 43-year-old and Australian Ebden defeated the Argentine pair of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-4 7-6(5) in the knockout round of this season’s first Grand Slam event.

Bopanna earned plaudits from the entire tennis fraternity as the Indian superstar will be crowned the new numero uno on Monday following the end of the Grand Slam event. From legendary player Sania Mirza to exciting talent Sumit Nagal, several household names in Indian tennis have saluted the individual brilliance of Bopanna on social media.

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‘World No.1 looks good on you, Bopsy’

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), ex-India tennis star Somdev Devvarman shared a special message for Bopanna. “Bops first told me he was contemplating retirement 5 years ago, then 4 years ago, then 3 years ago…Moral of the story is…. Who cares…He’s number 1! Couldn’t be happier for the Bopanna family! @rohanbopanna is all and the best story in indian sport!,” wrote Devvarman. “So proud Ro no one deserves it more,” Sania said in her noteworthy message. “World No.1 looks good on you, Bopsy. Thanks for always inspiring us,” added Nagal, who had a dream run at the 2024 edition of the Australian Open.

Did you know?

Earlier, Bopanna became the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion in 2023. He claimed the Indian Wells doubles title with Ebden last year to achieve the major milestone in his illustrious career. Bopanna is also the oldest player to register a win at the ATP Finals. The duo of Bopanna and Ebden has won trophies in Doha and Indian Wells. They also reached the summit clashes of the Rotterdam, Madrid, Shanghai, and Paris tournaments.

Bopanna and Ebden also contested the final of the US Open. Bopanna has made it to the US Open final twice. However, he never won the men’s doubles title. Before Bopanna, Rajeev Ram of the USA was the oldest player to achieve the world No.1 ranking. He bagged the top spot in October 2022 at the age of 38. Bopanna’s partner Ebden is set to reach the world no 2 spot.