Rohan Bopanna: Everything You Need To Know About the Grand Veteran of Indian Tennis

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The Indian professional tennis player, Rohan Bopanna, who defied his age and clinched the Masters 1000 match against the Argentine-Chilean duo of Francisco Cerundolo and Alejandro Tabilo 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and nine minutes at the Monte Carlos Masters, has been creating waves in the world of professional tennis recently.

At the age of 45, Bopanna created history and became the oldest man to ever clinch a match in either singles or doubles at the ATP Masters 1000 level. Additionally, last year, Bopanna also established himself as the oldest man to win a Grand Slam in the Open era when he clinched the Australian Open title along with Matthew Ebden.

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In this article we will take a look at the top four extremely fascinating facts about the veteran Indian tennis sensation, Rohan Bopanna, that you probably don’t know about.

Rohan Bopanna: Everything That You Need To Know About the Grand Veteran of Indian Tennis

• Rohan Bopanna’s Professional Tennis Journey

Born and brought up in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Bopanna was inclined towards tennis from his early childhood days and started playing at the young age of eleven. Although Bopanna used to play tennis during his school days in Coorg, Karnataka from the age of eleven, he started looking at tennis as his mainstream profession only after he turned nineteen.

Despite starting off with his intense professional training much later than his peers, Bopanna never looked back and, within the first few years of his tennis training, he courageously established himself on the ATP circuit in 2003 and soon represented India in prestigious international tournaments, including the Davis Cup, the Olympics, and multiple Grand Slams.

• Rohan Bopanna’s “Indo-Pak Express” Partnership

Rohan Bopanna’s iconic “Indo-Pak Express” partnership with Pakistan’s professional tennis player Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi gained immense attention during the late 2000s and peaked after the duo reached the finals of the 2010 U.S. Open men’s doubles event.

The duo’s path-breaking logo of “Stop War, Start Tennis” at the 2010 U.S. Open grabbed enormous attention from tennis aficionados from all over the world and eventually became a global call of peace for both nations. The duo also received the prestigious 2010 ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award for their heartwarming efforts to promote peace and unity on a global level. Additionally, Rohan Bopanna was also named a “Champion for Peace” by the Monaco-based organization ‘Peace and Sport’ in 2010.

• Rohan Bopanna’s Culinary Ventures

Interestingly, apart from his successful exploits in the world of tennis, the iconic Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna also ventured into the culinary scene. Bopanna co-owns a restaurant in Bangalore along with his wife, Supriya Annaiah.

Additionally, the 45-year-old Indian tennis sensation, Bopanna, also ventured into coffee manufacturing and introduced his own coffee brand named “The Rohan Bopanna Master Blend”, in collaboration with Bengaluru-based micro-roastery The Flying Squirrel in 2018. Furthermore, according to reports, Bopanna also actively invests in various culinary ventures. So far, Bopanna has invested in multiple culinary brands, including Good Flippin’ Burgers.

• Rohan Bopanna’s Tennis Academy

The legendary Indian tennis player, Rohan Bopanna, established his own tennis academy named “Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy” in March 2016 with a highly balanced curriculum that catered to young athletes at various stages, from beginners to high-performance players. In order to make professional tennis training easily accessible to a wide segment of young athletes, Bopanna launched a scholarship program in 2020 to support 60 children across the Under-12, Under-14, and Under-16 categories.

Moreover, the Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy also introduced a program targeting underprivileged children, particularly from remote areas, to receive free lodging, education, and tennis instruction at the academy. In addition to professional cricket training, Bopanna’s academy  also offers access to nutritionists, physiotherapists, and sports psychologists to support the overall development of its athletes.

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