Rohan Bopanna is a lot of crazy stats.
At 43 years and 329 days, he is the oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam doubles title.
It comes for the 61st time, the most attempts anyone has had before winning.
He has competed in the Australian Open 17 times, the most anyone has ever needed to win a men's doubles title, drawing level with compatriot Leander Paes.
And on Monday, when the new tennis rankings are released, he will become the oldest men's doubles No. 1 in the world, surpassing American Mike Bryan's record of 41 years and 76 days.
He was the talk of the town at the Australian Open this week.
Bopanna (right) and Ebden celebrate their victory (DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
Together with his doubles partner, Australian Matthew Ebden, Bopanna was crowned champion at Rod Laver Arena by defeating Italian duo Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassoni 7-6, 7-5. Ebden is his 19th different partner and this was his third attempt to win a Slam final.
The fact that the 36-year-old Ebden won the tournament on home soil made it all the better. It is a feeling that Bopanna also felt. “I consider this to be the home Grand Slam that comes from the Asian continent,” he said.
The seriousness of becoming world No. 1 at his age wasn't lost on him either. “To be honest, it’s still not that easy,” he said. Ebden called his partner's achievement “an incredible testament to his hard work.” He continued walking. “Last year it would have been easy for him to think, 'Oh, I'll just have another good year and retire in the next few years,' but I asked him to be fully committed,” he said. “He put pressure on himself. He’s young at heart, he’s a champion, he’s a warrior.”
Persistence is the defining word for Bopanna and this partnership. With a combined age of 79, they have wisdom that only comes with experience. The start wasn't entirely smooth and they lost their first tests as a new duo, which could lead to younger players giving up and trying something new. But, as Ebden says, they had “the maturity to give it at least a few months to work on it and make it work.”
It's no surprise that they eventually succeeded because their strengths aligned at the most fundamental level. Ebden says: “He plays on the deuce side, I played on the display. “It was a good fit straight away.” It’s fine. On the way to the final they only lost two sets but needed six tiebreaks. Endurance.
So how did Bopanna sustain herself at an age when most people would be seriously concerned about her various tendons in her legs?
A combination of Therabands (resistance bands), ice baths and a Belgian physiotherapist named Rebecca are the key to the Indian woman's success. Together, they spent time figuring out the best workout program for him, especially considering he reportedly has “no cartilage on my knees.” It’s completely worn out.” Even more impressive. “I told her (Rebecca) these are my terms,” he said. “I need to strengthen my quadriceps, especially my hamstrings and glutes, because then I won't have pain in these games.”
Bopanna can't believe he did it (DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
What's next for Bopanna? His real challenge is to find someone who can accompany him at the Paris Olympics this summer. He cannot play in mixed doubles because there is no woman ranked high enough to partner with him. So it's about finding the right partner for men. “We have a good group of players ranked from 60 to 140, currently India has almost 10 players in the rankings who play full-time doubles,” he said. But the added problem is “finding out who is good on the clay court because we are going to play at Roland Garros.”
Bopanna hopes his achievement can be a catalyst for his country. “I think Indian tennis, India needed this,” he said. “We don’t really have a lot of tennis players on offer. The sport is slowly gaining momentum. I think it's just going to inspire a lot of people.” And he hopes it goes far beyond that. “People all over the world aged 40 and over,” he said. “I think it will just inspire them in a different way.”
At 43, Bopanna has achieved his dream and is not done yet.
(Top photo: DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)