Rohan Bopanna set to become the oldest man to break in Top-5 of the ATP rankings, secures qualification for the ATP Finals

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden qualify for the ATP finals.

Rohan Bopanna set to become the oldest man to break in Top-5 of the ATP rankings, secures qualification for the ATP Finals

Rohan Bopanna (Credits: Olympics.com)

Indian tennis player Rohana Bopanna achieved the astonishing feat of becoming the oldest player ever to enter the ATP top-5 ranking. The 43-year-old had previously made this remarkable achievement in October 2013. Rohan Bopanna and his doubles partner Matthew Ebden have secured 3rd place in the ATP rankings. 

The list of their achievements gets longer as the Indian-Australian pair have also qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals. They will be playing against the world no. 1 doubles duo of Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek and world no. 2 partners Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski. 

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Bopanna and Ebden qualified for the prestigious tournament by reaching the finals of the Shanghai Masters that are currently taking place. The powerful duo defeated Frenchmen Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia with a scoreline of 7-6 (0), 4-6, [10-2] in the semifinal. They will lock horns with Marcel Granollers and Horacio Ceballos in the final on Saturday. 

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This will be Bopanna’s third final of the season. By entering the finals, he has shattered his own record for being the oldest Masters finalist in history. They have had a great season so far, as they lifted the trophy at Indian Wells and also triumphed at Doha. The double’s partners also reached a significant final at the US Open and the Madrid Open. They succeeded in reaching a remarkable number of six finals this year. 

Bopanna will be playing at the ATP finals for the fourth time. He had made his last appearance there in 2015. The 43-year-old participated in all the ATP finals with a new partner. This will be Matthew Ebden’s first ATP final. 

Also Read: WATCH: Roger Federer gets a rousing welcome at the Shanghai Masters ahead of his tribute ceremony celebrating his illustrious career 

Rohan Boppana on how tennis can be popularised in India

In an interview with Forbes, Rohan Boppana shared his feelings about the sport of tennis. He revealed the secrets of his longevity and played with a legend like Sania Mirza. However, he also shed light on how tennis can gain more recognition in India. 

Rohan Bopanna
Rohan Bopanna (Credits: Outlook India)

He said that the most important thing for tennis to get exposure would be to have tournaments in India. Currently, no tournaments take place in India, so there is less opportunity for Indian players. He believes that once more opportunities are created, tennis will be looked at favorably by many Indians. The tennis veteran feels it will make a huge change and make tennis a household name.

He said,’The minute we start creating those opportunities, tennis will improve, and become a huge sport. And I hope that it will change. When that changes, it’ll make a big, big difference.”

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