Sachin Tendulkar congratulates tennis ace Rohan Bopanna: Age is just a number, No. 1 ranking is not

Sachin Tendulkar congratulates tennis ace Rohan Bopanna: Age is just a number, No. 1 ranking is not

Sachin Tendulkar had special praise reserved for Rohan Bopanna after the Indian ace became the World No.1 in men’s doubles after his quarterfinals win in the Australian Open on January 24, Thursday.

Bopanna, at the age of 43, etched his name in tennis history by becoming the oldest player to achieve the World No. 1 ranking in men’s doubles.

How did Bopanna become World No.1?

This remarkable milestone was reached after Bopanna and his partner Matthew Ebden triumphed over the sixth-seeded Argentinian pair of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on January 24th, 2024.

The Indian-Australian duo secured their victory with a score of 6-4, 7-6 (5) in a match that lasted an hour and 46 minutes.

Bopanna thanked his team and partner Ebden after the feat on January 24 and said it was a special moment for him in his career.

“I want to thank my team who are here, they have definitely been through some tough moments. The career high was in 2013 and you know, you have got to keep going, what can you say? Never hold back, so thanks to all of them. And most of all thanks to my partner Matt, who I will get this ranking with. So, truly special and you know it is always going to be a fantastic memory here,” said Bopanna.

Many including Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza have sent in their praises for the Indian ace with the latest being Tendulkar.

The Indian cricket legend said that age is just a number for Bopanna but being No.1 isn’t and showered him with praise for the win.

“Age is just a number but ‘Number 1’ is not just another number. Congratulations Rohan! Being the oldest World Number 1 in Men’s Doubles is a stellar feat,” said Tendulkar on X.

Bopanna/Ebden eye second consecutive grand slam final

Bopanna and Ebden will be back in action on Friday, January 25, when they will take on Zhang Zhizhen and Tomas Machac in the semi-finals. The duo had reached the final of the US Open last year and is in the hunt for reaching their second one on the trot.

Bopanna and Ebden narrowly missed out on their first men’s doubles titles last year and will be looking to correct that record in Melbourne.

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