Rohan Bopanna is living his best life: “I never think about the age!”
At 44 years old, he is not only one of the world’s top doubles players but also a dedicated mentor, supporting underprivileged children through his academy in India. He loves traveling with his wife and 5-year-old daughter, and he feels like a better tennis player than ever before.
“Rohan Bopanna at 44 would beat Rohan Bopanna at 22,” he told CLAY in an interview during the last US Open. On Tuesday, he qualified alongside Australian Matt Ebden for the ATP Finals in Turin.
The Indian veteran has witnessed first-hand the changes across different eras in tennis. Besides calling Novak Djokovic the greatest of all time, he also believes the Serb has made the biggest impact on the sport.
Interview with Rohan Bopanna
– Happy to be here, happy to be on the tour?
– Of course, of course, man. Otherwise, there’s no reason to be here. If you’re not happy, it’s the wrong place to be.
– What are your feelings when you step on the court? You have done it for so many years…
– I’m the CEO of my company. You work all your life to get to the top and play at the top. So when you’re there, I see there’s no reason to stop. I’m enjoying it, I’m competing. Some days of practice I may not like, but when there’s a match day, I love it. I love competition.
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– When you wake up, what is your main motivation?
– On a match day, I’m fully ready to play, fully looking forward to it. I like to come out, to compete. It’s not about the money anymore, it’s just about the feeling, the joy. At the end of the day, you do so much sacrifice when you’re young. In tennis you have a short career, so when I’m playing here at the top, I’m enjoying it as much as I can. As long as I’m winning tournaments, winning big titles, I can’t beat that. I think it’s a beautiful thing and I inspire a lot of people back home, especially in my academy. When I go back and I talk to the kids, they’re so happy. It’s nice to see that they get to see me play on TV and when I go back, they see me live there. I can share my experiences with them. We just started a fantastic program in India for underprivileged children.
– Big times!
– Yeah. We chose 25 kids out of 300 from the northeast of India, 3000 kilometers away from Bangalore. 16 girls and nine boys. We’re providing them boarding, lodging, education and tennis coaching. Everything! They’ve never even seen a tennis court, never held a racquet, never tried a pair of tennis shoes before. I am giving back a little of what tennis has given me. It’s been really beautiful and such a joy to watch them. To see them happy to be playing and being there excited, it is the best and most beautiful thing.
– Imagine one of them will make it to pro.
– They just started. They’re beginners, nine and ten years old. How can you tell when you start your journey? But it’s not about making it to the tour. It’s about giving an opportunity. Not many underprivileged kids in the world can enjoy a full package like ours. I think about it and it makes me so happy. Happy times.
– You are enjoying a special status on tour. The oldest player on tour and one of the best in doubles. How do you think you are seen by your peers?
– I share a great rapport with the guys. Great camaraderie for sure. I’ve shared a lot of good friendships over the years. So many experiences! This is like a tennis family. We miss each other when we are home and we are constantly texting. We’re all living out of a suitcase, living in hotel rooms, sharing similar journeys. Come from different backgrounds, different parts of the world. And today we are all here under one roof, one locker room, sharing our stories. And I think it’s beautiful.
– What do you feel when you step on the court and you play against one guy that is half your age?
– I never think of the age, because both of us are there to play tennis in the same tournament. Because even if he’s older than me or younger than me, it makes no difference. Both of us are there to win the match. So I just go there and play my game. I’m not really looking at it as whether he’s young, old, he’s my age, he’s 15 years younger, 20 years younger. It doesn’t matter. Once you cross 18, everybody comes to the real world.
– So, are you going to play forever?
– As long as I’m enjoying the competition and travel, yeah. Why not? And my family is here in the Grand Slams. My wife is here, my daughter is traveling. I never would have thought my daughter would be watching me play live. If I had stopped at 35, this would not have happened. She would have been like, oh, my dad used to play tennis. Today she can say her dad is a tennis player.
– How do you explain your job to her?
– She has learnt tennis just by watching me. Even though she does not know the scores, she knows whether I’m winning or losing by my expressions. She loves it. Then in case I lose, she slowly comes and she says, ‘bad luck’. And she also gets upset. The emotions are there. And she loves to get some camera time when she is on the stands and watch herself later on TV.
– Must be fun for her to be in the tournaments.
– She’s like, ‘how do you know everybody?’. When other players are on TV, she always asks for their names. She loves to travel and try different foods. So it’s nice. I think traveling is the best education, so we feel lucky. And thanks to my wife, who’s made so many sacrifices to be able to travel and be with me, with her. They are just amazing.
– For 27 years, India was part of the ATP Tour calendar, but not anymore and there are no plans the country will host an event of the main circuit. It was a tournament you won three times. What does that make you feel?
– It’s sad, because I grew up watching so many great players come to India. I feel bad that we lost that ATP 250, to be honest. In some way or the other, it is a chance for youngsters to watch local and international players. Watching any sport live, I think, gives real inspiration. Great memories from these tournaments. I have so many people who unfortunately cannot travel and watch me play across the world. They at least used to come to watch the tournaments in India, which was a nice thing. I am hoping that it comes back soon, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take before it comes back again.
– Your compatriot Vijay Amitraj says that tennis powers have forgotten about the rest of the world and that they remain super focused on developing the sport in the United States and Europe. Do you agree with him?
– I mean, predominantly, our tour is in Europe or the US. We have a small swing in Asia. So, it would be nice if we do get more tournaments in Asia. Genuinely, a lot of people in Asia love watching tennis. And they would love to have more tournaments. I’m glad that the Doha tournament has become ATP 500 from 250. The tournament is doing so well. And a few more countries in the Middle East are interested in getting some more tournaments. And that will be closer to India, at least. I spend a significant amount of time in the US. It’s at least a month the first semester, and then six weeks from August. The rest of the time is Europe. My Belgian physio does not complain.
– If you could change one rule in tennis, what would you choose?
– Let’s get back to the normal third set for doubles. No super tiebreak! I think it’s more fun, like in the Grand Slams.
– Rohan Bopanna, 44 years old, versus Rohan Bopana, 22 years old. With the same partner. Who wins?
– Rohan Bopanna, 44! Without a doubt. Experience is so important. I might have had more power, but tennis is not about power. It’s about experience and your mind strength.
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– What do you most like about India?
– Our hospitality. I think India has the best hospitality. That’s what I like. I think they are very, very warm, it’s a welcoming culture.
– What’s the thing you most dislike about India?
– Getting stuck in traffic. Sometimes just waiting in traffic can take hours! Unfortunately, there are too many vehicles on the road. I wish someday we could find a solution to that.
– Have you ever struggled with the idea of retirement? Or have you always enjoyed tennis so much that you have never thought of quitting?
– In 2019 I was contemplating retiring because I had no cartilages in my knees. I was in a lot of pain! I wanted to stop at the end of that year. During the pandemic, actually, I discovered Iyengar Yoga. And this changed my entire journey. I was having almost two, three painkillers a day because my knees were torturing me so hard. Without being able to play tennis because of the lockdows I was doing it four times a week, 90-minute sessions. And it really strengthened a lot of my muscles and everything. And I went from two, three painkillers a day to no painkillers. From pain to no pain. Because when you have pain as a tennis player, it’s tough. You know, always dealing with that every single day. You don’t want to wake up and be in pain. So now, thanks to Iyengar Yoga and having a good physio to really do a lot of strengthening. It has been incredible.
– Who is the male tennis GOAT?
– Novak Djokovic. I think just the way that he’s been so consistent over the years, I think it’s just been incredible. You know, even though I’ve been there with all the guys growing up for so many years, I think Novak has been someone who’s really come through so many different barriers. And how consistent he’s been. He is incredible.
– Who is the tennis player who has made the biggest impact in the sport?
– Also Novak. For sure.
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