"I said I'm gonna call it a day, that was end of my journey"- Australian Open champion Rohan Bopanna recalls video message to wife during tough period
Newly crowned Australian Open men's doubles winner Rohan Bopanna revealed his video message to his wife Supriya Annaiah when he contemplated quitting tennis.
At the age of 43, Bopanna became the oldest men's player to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era. Pairing with Australian Matthew Ebden, the Indian star rallied past Italian pair Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori. En route to his second Grand Slam triumph, first in the men's doubles event, Rohan Bopanna ensured his career-best World No.1 ranking.
The 43-year-old didn't shy away from expressing his tough times while speaking at the presentation ceremony. He thanked his wife and daughter Tridha present in the stands before saying:
"A couple of years ago I send a video message (to wife Supriya) where I said I'm gonna call it a day because I was not winning matches. I went five months without winning a match. I thought that was going to be the end of my journey. I think that perseverance inside me just kept me going."
"It was probably the easiest smash on match point ever"- Rohan Bopanna
Rohan Bopanna hit a simple and crisp volley over his shoulders to seal the championship point. The man from Coorg subsequently fell on the ground relieved from all the frenetic rallies. Just moments later, he was involved in the customary chest-bump celebration with Ebden.
"It was so much weight on the shoulders when it -- you know, it (the winning volley) just came off. Automatically I fell down (chuckles)," he reacted.
"Yeah, I don't know, but yeah, that moment, I don't think you think of how you're going to celebrate or what you're going to celebrate. I was first just thinking, don't miss that smash. It was probably the easiest smash on match point ever. Especially to win a Grand Slam," he added.
Matthew Ebden won his third Grand Slam event in his career after the Australian Open mixed doubles in 2013 and Wimbledon men's doubles in 2022. Reacting to the winning moment, the 36-year-old said:
"Yeah, yeah, what he said takes me back, I had that same feeling at Wimbledon a couple years ago, the moment we won match point. You just lose all comprehension of your body and you collapse.I saw him collapse, and then I was, like, oh, yeah, I'm going to lie down and just enjoy this moment too."
Rohan Bopanna made his Grand Slam debut in 2006. He has also won the French Open in mixed doubles alongside Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski in 2017.