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Rohan Bopanna vs Matt Ebden

Celebrating the spirit of Rohan Bopanna as he makes season-ending final with Matt Ebden

Credits: Twitter

Rohan Bopanna and Matt Ebden making the season-ending Nitto ATP finals to be held in Turin from November 10 to 17 may have gone virtually unnoticed. At a time when all the hype is on the IPL retentions and  who all will be thrown into the mega auction pool, to be held later in Saudi Arabia, news of an Indian champion in tennis still being relevant is very important.

At age 44, which champion Bopanna calls ‘Level 44,’ he is a legend in every sense. For people obsessed with the IPL and MS Dhoni at 43 plus still being good enough to be retained by Chennai Super Kings makes news. Yet, Bopanna being an active doubles player in the ATP circuit and Grand Slams is important. He and Ebden were there in the season-ending finals last year as well. Just the top eight pairs make the cut, so for the Indo-Aussie potent combo to barge into the finals cannot be ignored.

Anyone who has followed Rohan Bopanna in his journey over the last 25 years plus will agree he has kept pushing himself, unmindful of impediments. This generation of tennis fans may have forgotten his singles exploits, where his potent serve earned him the title of ‘Bofors Bopanna’ for his Howitzer potency while belting the ball.  That he had to graduate to doubles is no shame. Indian tennis is in shambles, the All India Tennis Association is an anti-player institution. It rubbishes someone like Sumit Nagal. At the same time, the AITA will not even put out a tweet or post for Bopanna on Insta for what he has achieved. To have won the Australian Open with Ebden this January and then triumphed in Miami, made the final in Adelaide and were emerge -finalists in Roland Garros, Bopanna and Ebden have worked hard.

They have been separated for a few weeks, which was expected since Matt Ebden had been on the road for long. To be back at the Paris Masters and then ensure a berth in the season-ending finale is good news for Indian tennis. The story is about one man plying his trade, being selfless and finding the motivation to solider on. That defines Rohan Bopanna and what he has continued to do in a specialised branch of tennis which has been diluted. There have been true legends like Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi before this, who had also taken the world by storm when they made the season-ending doubles final in Hartford, Connecticut, 27 years ago. The tennis landscape at home has not changed too much since then.

If any player is doing well and still finds a mention from India, it is due to own efforts, be it Nagal or Bopanna. To be sure, Bopanna does not need to be doing all this. He can chill at his coffee estates in Coorg and reminisce over what he has achieved. Achievement should not be confused with just win/loss and titles won. It also has to do with contribution made to the sport. And that is where Rohan Bopanna has been a path-breaker, nurturing doubles potential at home, holding camps and much more. He wants the next generation to step up, since Indians have done well in doubles tennis. To do it without commercials and just passion, Bopanna deserves kudos.

He has given up playing for India in the Davis Cup, he signed off from national duty when he and Sriram Balaji failed in the first round at the Paris Olympics. Yet, to still soldier on alone in the professional tour is not easy. Why alone? You cannot humanly be spending every minute with your doubles tennis partner every day.  Yet, what drives Bopanna is excellence, pushing his body at an age where he can rest. He has no cartilage in his knees, his life depends on physios, rehab and the Iyengar yoga he follows. To be bouncing around on hard courts, which destroy your knees, to be still showing agility, despite the natural process of ageing, Bopanna is redefining excellence. 

What Bopanna and Ebden do in the finals will be watched keenly. He has already decided he will be part of the tennis caravan in 2025. Whether he will have the same partner or not has not been made public. There is hope, in India, the tennis mess will be solved soon and the AITA will have a professional body in place in coming months. It will make every tennis lover happy, Bopanna included. After all, he has a different role to play in the Karnataka state tennis association as well. Mind you, this is also gratis.

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