Rohan Bopanna bids farewell to India colour: A glimpse into his major feats

Indian tennis legend Rohan Bopanna announced his retirement from India colours following his first-round exit in the men’s doubles event at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Rohan and his partner N. Sriram Balaji lost to French duo Gael Monfils and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 5-7, 2-6.

Before his match, he said that this Olympics would be his final appearance for India, as he looks forward to enjoying the tennis circuit in a different capacity.

"This will definitely go down as my last event for the country. I totally understand where I am and now, I am just going to be enjoying the tennis circuit as long as that goes," said Bopanna in an interview with the media in Paris.

In the meantime, he also ruled out participation in future events such as the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

Having made his India debut almost 22 years ago, Indian tennis star Bopanna has aged like fine wine.

Let’s have a look at some of his major achievements.

Bopanna's career highlights:

1. Early career and breakthrough (1999-2008)

Bopanna transitioned from junior to senior circuit in 1999 and turned professional in 2003. Although his early years were challenging, his hard work paid off when he clinched his first ATP title at the 2008 Los Angeles Open with American partner Eric Butorac.

This victory marked the beginning of his successful ATP career.

2. Doubles dominance and ATP titles

Bopanna’s prominence grew as he established himself as a doubles specialist. Over the years, he has accumulated 26 ATP doubles titles, including six ATP 1000 Masters titles.

Noteworthy victories include the Paris Masters in 2011 teaming up with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, and the Indian Wells Masters in 2023 with Matthew Ebden. It made him the oldest player to win an ATP 1000 Masters title.

3. Notable partnerships and achievements

The Indo-Pak duo of Bopanna and Qureshi enjoyed significant success on the ATP Tour, capturing five titles from 2010 to 2014, including the Paris Masters in 2011.

In 2015, Bopanna’s collaboration with Florin Mergea resulted in titles at the Madrid Open and Stuttgart Open.

His most recent partnership with Australian Matthew Ebden brought further success, including the Australian Open men’s doubles Grand Slam crown in January this year, solidifying his place in tennis history as the oldest man to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era.

He subsequently became the oldest World No. 1 tennis player.

4. Grand slam success

Bopanna’s Grand Slam career highlights include his mixed doubles win at the 2017 French Open with Gabriela Dabrowski.

He has also reached the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open in 2018 and 2023, and the men’s doubles final at the 2023 US Open.

His Australian Open 2024 win with Ebden further cemented his legacy.

5. Olympic participation

Bopanna represented India at the London 2012, Rio 2016 and Paris 2024 Olympics.

His standout Olympic performance came at Rio 2016, where he and Sania Mirza reached the semi-finals in mixed doubles, narrowly missing a medal after losing the bronze medal match.

6. Success in Indian colour

An Arjuna Awardee, Bopanna has been an important member of India’s Davis Cup team and secured the 2006 Asian Hopman Cup with Sania Mirza.

At the 2018 Asian Games, he and Divij Sharan won a gold medal in men’s doubles.

Bopanna also achieved a career-high world No. 1 ranking in doubles in January 2024, becoming the oldest player to reach this milestone.

Additionally, he won a gold medal with Rutuja Bhosale in the mixed doubles at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

His Davis Cup career concluded in September 2023 after a significant 21-year tenure, when his announced that he would no longer part of the Indian team.