In an emotional post on social media, the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era wrote, “I’m officially hanging up my racquet.”

2025 turned out to be a year when several Indian athletes across sports bid goodbye to their respective fields. The long list of retirees included Rohan Bopanna, one of India’s tennis veterans who served the country and the game for a glorious 22 years.

As the year comes to an end, here’s a recap of Bopanna’s journey and major achievements in the field of tennis.

Tennis from 11

A son of a coffee planter, Bopanna picked up tennis at the age of 11, and since then, he has never looked back. His first professional stint as a junior was in the 1996 India ITF Junior World Ranking Event. Bopanna won only one game. By 1997, Bopanna had won his first title, the Arab Championships, and the Arab Contractors International Junior Championships.

By 2000, Bopanna had moved to the senior categories of tennis.

Achievements as the oldest

(Credit- Livemint

At the age of 43, Bopanna created history by becoming the oldest man to win the Australian Open 2024 men's doubles title along with Matthew Ebden. This was also the time when Bopanna became the oldest No. 1-ranked player in the men’s doubles category.

In 2023, Bopanna won the ATP Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells with his partner, Matthew Ebden. By doing so, they became the oldest duo to win an ATP title.

INDO-PAK collab

(Credit- ESPN)

Given India and PAK’s strained relationship, players from the two countries playing together are a rare scenario. In 2010, Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi reached the final of the US Open. The Gram Slam event saw the duo defeat several stalwarts of the game, such as the American Bryan brothers and the Argentine 11th-seeded duo of Eduardo Schwank and Horacio Zeballos. Although they did not win, the collaboration went down in tennis history.

Other highlights

Other highlights of Bopanna’s career include:

Australian Open: Winner of the men's doubles title in 2024 with partner Matthew Ebden. Runner-up in mixed doubles in 2018 and 2023.

US Open: Runner-up in men's doubles in 2010 and 2023.

French Open: Winner of the mixed doubles title in 2017.

Wimbledon: Semi-finalist in men's doubles in 2012 and 2015.

ATP Titles: 5 titles (2011 Paris Masters, 2012 Paris Masters, 2015 Madrid Masters, 2017 Monte Carlo Masters, 2023 Indian Wells Masters, 2024 Miami Masters)

ATP Finals: 14 finals (6 titles, 8 runner-ups)

Bopanna’s announcement

(Credit- News18)

On November 1, 2025, the three-time Olympian announced his retirement on Instagram. He wrote, “How do you bid farewell to something that gave your life its meaning? After 20 unforgettable years on tour, it’s time… I’m officially hanging up my racquet. From chopping wood in Coorg to strengthen my serve, to standing under the lights of the biggest arenas in the world — it feels surreal. Representing India has been the greatest honour of my life.”

As the year comes to an end, we cannot thank Bopanna enough for his contribution to tennis but wish him all the very best for the next chapter of life, with the hope that he will continue his association with the game in some capacity.