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Rohan Bopanna goes from considering retirement to Australian Open doubles triumph
The oldest-ever World No. 1 Rohan Bopanna revealed how he defeated retirement idea ahead of his upcoming Australian Open men's doubles final.
It wasn't easy, but Rohan Bopanna defied all odds as he and his men's doubles partner Matthew Ebden defeated Zhang Zhizhen, Tomas Machac 6-3 3-6 7(10)-6(7) in their Australian Open semi-final clash at the Rod Laver Arena.
The win saw Bopanna receive another opportunity to win a Grand Slam title. He has reached the US Open final twice (2013 and 2023), but a Major trophy still awaits for him in his career and he is already 43-years-old, so this could be the perfect occasion.
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Bopanna and Ebden will take on Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, in the men's doubles final. The Italian pair defeated Yannick Hanfmann and Dominik Koepfer 6-3 3-6 7-6 (5) in the other semifinal. Bopanna is also the new World No. 1 in men's doubles, which makes him the oldest player to claim the position for the first time in his career.
He has also been shortlisted for the Padma Shri, which is the fourth highest civilian honour after Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan. Padma Shri is given for distinguished service in any field.
"On the circuit, we have played lot of Super Tie Breaks, that gets us sharp. They (Machac and Zhang) return extremely well, we had to make sure we serve well and on spots. This partnership (with Ebden) has been good," Bopanna said after the semi-final match.
"A lot of stuff goes behind the scenes. A big team is part of me. I just made sure I stay focussed on what I need to do get to ready, that is mobility and recovery. I do not look to lift heavy, just do yoga. I feel mental strength helps me," he added.
After his quarter-final win, Bopanna opened up about his fitness issues and revealed about his knee issues. "At the end of 2019, I was thinking about stopping because my knees were in extreme pain, I was on 2-3 painkillers a day. In 2021, I did not even win a match for the first five months of the year. These thoughts have crossed my mind," he said.
"As a tennis player, you think sometimes the journey is done and you don't know what's next. The biggest thing for me is I found new ways to persevere, challenge myself and really give it another shot. I am thankful that I stuck to my instinct and believed in myself. That really shows why today I have been able to achieve this."
He also called mental strength the biggest aspect in his improvement. "I have been playing here for over 15 years, I never crossed the third round. I am already at the semis. That belief is there. The biggest aspect is mental strength - you have to believe it in yourself before you even go out there and try to achieve it," he said.
He also pointed out that recovery is crucial in his career now due to his age. "You have to be really focused on the discipline you need as an athlete. There are certain types of training I can't even do, like endurance training. [But] I have been having an ice bath every single day since I came to Australia. At my age, recovery is a major aspect. I've been trying to find the right balance of food and stay in the best shape. Just understanding my body and focussing on that has built that mental strength," he said.
The Indian legend mentioned that it was his dream to get close to his highest ranking and that it has been a little over a decade since he reached world no. 3. The tennis ace has also been defeating retirement news with alternatives like yoga, mental strength and also the pandemic break helped him.
