Rohan Bopanna has clinched the No 1 men’s doubles ranking with victory alongside Matt Ebden in the Australian Open quarter-finals, becoming the oldest player to do so at 43.
The Indian-Australian pair beat Argentine duo Máximo González and Andrés Molteni 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park on Wednesday, but only after the match was moved due to bubbles on court three.
Bopanna said reaching No 1 as a 43-year-old will have a global impact.
“It’s just going to inspire a lot of people, and I don’t think just in tennis,” he said. “People all over the world, being 40 and above, it’s just going to inspire them in a different way.”
The previous oldest men’s doubles No 1, Mike Bryan, was 41 years and 76 days when his stint ended in 2019, according to the International Tennis Federation.
Bopanna will be 43 years and 330 days old at the end of the tournament on Sunday.
Lisa Raymond has been recognised as the oldest women’s doubles No 1, at 39 by the time she gave up the crown for the last time in 2012.
Serena Williams is the oldest woman to be ranked No 1 in singles, at age 35. Federer’s record for men’s singles, at 36, could be broken by Novak Djokovic this year.
David Wagner was 44 in 2018 when he was No 1 in the quad wheelchair rankings.
Bopanna and Ebden have the same number of rankings points, but the Indian will be ranked outright first because Ebden has played three more tournaments over the period.
Bopanna said reaching No 1 had long been a dream and he credited Ebden for his rise up the rankings.
“Matt and I both have equal points, so technically I think we should be No 1 together,” he said.
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They joined up at the end of 2022 when their previous partners had chosen to take their careers in different directions. Bopanna said they didn’t have a lot of options at the time.
Ebden said when looking for a new partner, the pool of potential players is small.
“He plays on the deuce [right side of the court], I played on the ad [left side], we’ve known each other for a long time, we thought our games could complement each other well, so we thought ‘let’s have a go,” he said.
Their coach, Scott Davidoff, has known Bopanna since 2005 and has been working for him for 12 years. He said the pair are “always there for each other, more than just tennis” and that the No 1 ranking is a “special achievement”.
“It’s definitely an emotional day, but we have more things to keep looking forward to tomorrow.”
Ebden won the Wimbledon men’s doubles crown in 2022 with Max Purcell. Bopanna won the 2017 French Open mixed doubles title, but is still chasing his first men’s doubles grand slam.
The pair will meet Tomas Machac and Zhizhen Zhang in the semi-finals on Thursday.