“Those 20-30 years of hard work is why I am…”: Rohan Bopanna following Miami Open win

Miami [US], March 31 (ANI): Following his Miami Open title win in the men’s doubles category along with Australia’s Matthew Ebden, Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna, said that the hard work he put in for 20-30 years in the sport is the reason why he is enjoying such a brilliant run of form at this point in his career.

The men’s doubles duo of India’s Bopanna and Australia’s Edben clinched a historic victory in the final of the Miami Open tennis tournament on Saturday. The duo of Bopanna and Edben sealed a solid win over Croatia’s Ivan Dodic and America’s Austin Krajicek in a marathon final by 6-7, 6-3, and 10-6 to get hold of the trophy.

Following his win, Bopanna was quoted as saying by the Miami Open official website, “It has been magical, especially to win here, in the Magic City. It has been beautiful. I have to thank Matthew, who has been such a great partner for what he does on the court, with the communication, with the way we handle pressure situations,” commented Bopanna.

At 44 years of age, Rohan has a win-loss record of 26-37 in the tour level finals and secured his 6th ATP Masters 1000 title. He is the first Miami Open champion from India since Leander Paes back in 2012, who won the doubles title along with the Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek. With this win, the duo has improved their win-loss record to 14-3 this season. They have also solidified their hold at the top spot of doubles team’s rankings.

“I think that is what everyone plays for, they want to be at the highest level and want to play at the top. When you win a tournament and reach the top of the rankings, you are the best in the world. It’s a beautiful moment and you know, those 20-30 years of hard work you have put into is the reason why I am enjoying it right now and I am really happy. Without hard work,. I do not think anything for anyone in any field is possible.” added Bopanna.

Ebden, following the match, was full of praise for his opponents, saying that they fight back in tough situations.

“It is tough. These guys fight back in tough moments. Last time we played them, it was similar, it was a bit of a see-saw. They return so well, make so many balls and we missed one or two shots when we were up [at the end of] the first set. They played a great tiebreak, and then we just reset,” said Ebden, as quoted by ATP.

“We just tried a different method. We just relaxed and let ourselves play, and just saw what happened. It turned out well,” he added.

In the Australian Open held this year, the duo defeated Italy’s Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in straight sets, 7-6, 7-5, in a thrilling final. It was Bopanna’s second career Grand Slam title and his first in men’s doubles. His previous Grand Slam victory came in mixed doubles with Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada at the 2017 French Open.

Bopanna, who made his 17th Australian Open appearance in this edition, comfortably wrapped up his maiden Grand Slam men’s doubles title victory. Aged 43 years, 329 days, he also became the oldest Grand Slam champion.

The Indian tennis player is also the third Indian man in the Open Era to win a major men’s doubles title, following Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. He also became the world’s first-ranked player following the title win.