Rohan Bopanna Makes History As Oldest Man To Win Grand Slam At Australian Open

The Australian Open 2024 men's doubles title was secured by India's Rohan Bopanna, making him the oldest man to achieve a Grand Slam victory.

Teaming up with Matthew Ebden, Bopanna, who is approaching 44 in March, also attained the distinction of being the oldest number one in men's doubles history.

Photo Credit: X/@AustralianOpen

Rohan Bopanna Makes History

The second seeds secured victory over the unseeded Italian pair Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori with a score of 7-6 (7/0), 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena. This marked the first title as a team for the Italian pair and the first win in men's doubles for Bopanna after 60 previous Grand Slam attempts - a record for the most attempts before success.

The final, lasting one hour and 39 minutes, was won by Bopanna and Ebden in a high-quality game of tennis. Only the iconic Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have won Major titles for India in men's tennis, while trailblazer Sania Mirza achieved it in women's tennis.

Bopanna, at 43, also became the oldest Grand Slam champion in men's tennis, surpassing the record of Jean-Julien Rojer, who, at the age of 40, had lifted the French Open men's doubles trophy in 2022 with Marcelo Arevola. This victory marked Bopanna's second Grand Slam title, with the first being the French Open mixed doubles with Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski in 2017.

The Rod Laver arena witnessed a hard-fought battle where the contest featured only one break of serve when Vavassori dropped his serve at love in game 11 of the second set, and there were not many break points on offer either.

The second seeds had breakpoints in successive games at the beginning of the contest. However, both were saved by the Italians to maintain an even playing field. In game two, a volley by Vavassori at 30-30 off Bolelli's serve was hit long by Bopanna.

In game four, the Italians faced another break point at 30-30 when a return from Bopanna bounced off the net chord, giving the second seeds a free point. Nevertheless, Vavassori served effectively to save that point.

Serving at 4-5, and 30-all, Bolelli was once again under pressure but managed to hit a powerful cross-court forehand, beyond Bopanna's reach, and followed it up with a strong serve to make it 5-all. In game 11, Ebden's serve faced a breakpoint, but after several deuce points, the Australian closed the game with an ace.

During the tie-breaker, Bolelli's serve was broken twice as the second seeds quickly took a 5-0 lead without dropping a point on their serve. Vavassori also lost his serve, giving their rivals six set points. The first set point was converted by Ebden with a forehand winner down the line.

Bopanna is set to be crowned the new number one on Monday when the ATP rankings are updated. At 43, he will become the oldest player to be perched on top of the ranking pile. Bolelli had previously won the Australian Open men's doubles in 2015 with partner Fabio Fognini.