Big-serving tennis ace Rohan Bopanna, who earned nickname from Indian army’s famed artillery gun, calls it a day after 20 years on the Tour, after Rd-1 exit in Paris
Rohan Bopanna reacts after winning the Australian Open men’s doubles title in 2024. Pic/Getty Images
Indian tennis great Rohan Bopanna, one of only four Indians to win Grand Slam titles — Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza being the others — announced his retirement from the game on Saturday, bringing an end to career spanning over two decades on the challenging ATP Tour.
The 45-year-old’s final appearance came at the Paris Masters, where he partnered Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, losing in the opening round earlier this week.
In an emotional statement, Bopanna said he was ‘officially hanging up racquet,’ reflecting on a journey that took him from his hometown of Coorg, Karnataka, to the biggest arenas in world tennis.
“How do you bid farewell to something that gave your life its meaning? After 20 unforgettable years on tour, however, it’s time,” Bopanna wrote.
“Every time I stepped onto a court, it taught me perseverance, resilience to rise, to fight again when everything inside me said I couldn’t — and most of all, reminded me why I started and who I am,” he added.
Bopanna became one of India’s most successful doubles players, and earned the nickname ‘Bofors’ (in relation to the Indian army’s famed artillery gun) for his powerful serve.
He won his first Grand Slam when he triumphed at the French Open mixed doubles event with Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski in 2017 and won his first and only men’s doubles title with Australia’s Matthew Ebden at the Australian Open in 2024.
In 2023, Bopanna won the Indian Wells trophy with Ebden, becoming the oldest ATP Masters champion at 43.
He also became the oldest World No. 1 in doubles in 2024, aged 43.
02
No. of Grand Slam doubles titles won by Rohan Bopanna
26
Total ATP titles clinched by Rohan Bopanna
Bopanna’s career milestones
Denver Challenger (2003)
Bopanna’s first major title came alongside Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi. The duo went on to achieve plenty of success together, and were fondly dubbed the IndoPak Express
Countrywide Classic (2009)
Bopanna clinched his maiden ATP men’s doubles title while partnering USA’s Eric Butorac
US Open (2010)
It was the first time the Indian reached the summit clash of a Grand Slam. His partner in crime was Pakistan’s Qureshi, and despite a spirited performance in the final, they went down to the World No. 1 duo of Mike and Bob Bryan
French Open (2017)
Bopanna clinched his maiden Grand Slam doubles title in the mixed doubles category after teaming up with Canada’s Gabriela Dobrowski. They beat the German-Colombian pair of Anna-Lena Gronefeld and Robert Farah in the final
Indian Wells (2023)
Bopanna became the oldest Masters champion at 43 while playing alongside Australia’s Matthew Ebden. He did so by downing the World No. 1 Anglo-Dutch duo of Neal Skupski and Wesley Koolhof in the final
Australian Open (2024)
Bopanna won his first men’s doubles title alongside Ebden, beating the Italian pair of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori. It made Bopanna the oldest doubles player to win a Grand Slam title at the age of 43, while also becoming the oldest doubles player to attain the World No. 1 ranking
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