World no.1 Rohan Bopanna presents his Australian Open 2024 winning racket to PM Modi.
Rohan Bopanna made history at the recently concluded Australian Open, winning the men’s doubles title with partner Matthew Ebden at the Rod Laver Arena. Bopanna and Edben defeated Italians Simone Boleli and Andrea Vavassori 7-6 (7-0), 7-5 in the final. During the Grand Slam event, Bopanna also became the world number one for the first time, at the age of 43.
After his victory, Bopanna met the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, and the joy of the tennis star knew no bounds. On Twitter, he shared a photo of Modi and captioned it as, “Honored to meet Prime Minister Modi today. This presentation is very educational and humbling and it is an honor for me to bring the racket that made me a person.” world number 1. 1 and AO Grand Slam champion. Your grace has left me inspired and encouraged.
Bopanna also gave Modi
Bopanna also became the oldest player to win a Grand Slam title after winning the final. It broke the record of Jean-Julien Rojer, who won the 2022 French Open trophy with Marcelo Arevola at the age of 40. It was also the first title for Bopanna and Ebden together. They won the US Open final last year. It was Bopanna’s Grand Slam doubles victory after 60 attempts – another record. India’s only previous Grand Slam win came back at the 2017 French Open in mixed doubles, with Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski.
Bopanna became the No. 1 after winning the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. In his previous 16 Grand Slam appearances, the best was the third-round appearance, which he did six times, most recently in 2018. He was eliminated in the first round, especially in Ebden in 2023.
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