India’s veteran tennis player Rohan Bopanna did the unthinkable at 43, when he won the Australian Open men’s doubles title with his Aussie partner Matthew Ebden. The duo beat Italian pair Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-6 (7/0), 7-5 in straight sets to lay their hands on the trophy.
But this Grand Slam win did not come easy for Bopanna. At least his numbers suggest so. This is his first men’s doubles title at any slam, and second overall — his only other Grand Slam win came in mixed doubles at the French Open, with Gabriela Dabrowski in 2017.
Bopanna’s men’s doubles title has come after 61 attempts overall, across four Grand Slams, after having come close twice; he made the finals of the US Open in 2010 and 2023. As for just the Australia Open, the men’s doubles title for Bopanna came in the 17th attempt, having played his first in 2008.
During the tournament, he notched up his 500th win in his men’s doubles career as well, and is the oldest to do so. He is also the oldest to get to the World No. 1 men’s doubles ranking.
Rohan Bopanna Prize Money
Apart from creating all these records, Bopanna took home a massive pay-cheque. The duo of Bopanna-Ebden, after winning the Australian Open title, won a massive prize money of AUD 730,000, which roughly translates to INR four crore. That means, Bopanna will make close to INR two crore from this win.
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