Rohan Bopanna, alongside his partner Matt Ebden, secured a spot in the Men’s doubles finals at the US Open, putting the seal on a remarkable year for the seasoned player. This year has undeniably been a golden one for Bopanna, who not only cemented his partnership with Australia’s Ebden but also became the oldest ATP Masters champion at the age of 43 while returning to the top 10 in doubles. Bopanna’s journey to the US Open final is testament to his enduring skill and unyielding determination. In the process, he also became the oldest man to reach a Grand Slam doubles final in the Open era – at 43 years and six months, he’s two months older than Canada’s Daniel Nestor was when he reached the Australian Open final in 2016.
In the Australian Open, Bopanna and his mixed doubles partner, Sania Mirza, made it to the final, showcasing their formidable form despite ending up on the losing side. Bopanna’s serves proved to be a standout feature of his game, but it was his net play and forehand that impressed equally. The experience that comes with age allowed him to handle pressure with composure, a key factor in his success.
In the US Open, the quarter-finals saw the Bopanna-Ebden duo facing adversity, saving seven break points to secure the first set in a tiebreaker (7-6) before dominating the second set (6-1). In the semi-finals against France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, they rallied from a 4-2 deficit, winning three consecutive games to go 5-4 up. With the first set going to a tiebreaker, Bopanna and Ebden secured it and continued their dominance by winning the second set 6-2.
Bopanna’s performance defies the notion that age hampers a player’s abilities. His serves, down-the-line forehands, and net presence have propelled his tennis career to new heights, firmly placing Indian tennis on the global map again.
Notably, Bopanna’s success in New York comes on the heels of previous achievements, including reaching the final in Rotterdam with Ebden, and their victory at the 2023 Qatar ExxonMobil Open. Their triumph in Indian Wells, where they defeated their top-seeded rivals in a third-set super tiebreak, made Bopanna the oldest ATP Masters champion at 43.
The question that now looms large is whether Bopanna can carry this incredible momentum forward and finish that incomplete chapter from 2010 by clinching victory in the final.