Veteran Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna, 44, has announced his retirement from the sport following an early exit from the Paris Olympics 2024. Bopanna, competing alongside N. Sriram Balaji, was defeated in the opening round of the men's doubles by the French pair of Gael Monfils and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. The match ended with scores of 5-7, 2-6 after an hour and 16 minutes.
This early exit from the Olympics also means Bopanna will not participate in the Asian Games in Japan. Bopanna, who made his debut for India at the age of 22, expressed gratitude for his long career representing the country.
"This will definitely go down as my last event for the country. I totally understand where I am and now, I am just going to be enjoying the tennis circuit as long as that goes," Bopanna said, as quoted by PTI
"This is already a big bonus for where I am. I never even thought that I'll be representing India for two decades. Right from 2002, making my debut and 22 years later still getting to represent India. I'm extremely proud of that,” Bopanna added.
Bopanna is one of India's most decorated tennis players. In 2017, he won the French Open mixed doubles title with Gabriela Dabrowski. Earlier this year, he became the oldest World No. 1 and the oldest Grand Slam champion after winning the Australian Open men’s doubles title with Matthew Ebden. He was also honoured with the Padma Shri in April.